


Love Will Tear Us Apart

by YaminoTenshi202



Series: The Notecards [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: A dash of Autogynophilia, Alcohol, Animal Motifs, Body Horror, Body Worship, Cannibalism, Consent in the Middle does not mean It's Okay, Developed before POF, Evelyn Evelyn AU, Evelyn Evelyn is more of a guideline really, Every Side has an Animal, Everyone is Yandere, Imagination, Love Poems, M/M, Misunderstandings, Original Characters are just for the worldbuilding, Paralysis, Poisoning, Sex Under False Pretenses, Shapeshifting, Skinship, Suicidal Thoughts, Thomas is a major presence in this, Unreliable Narrator, Violent Sex, Yandere, Yandere Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Yandere Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, fight me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 06:28:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23966908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaminoTenshi202/pseuds/YaminoTenshi202
Summary: Remus is often left alone and is wishing for someone to come be with him. He is only truly close to his brother Roman. He starts getting letters from a mysterious stranger, who professes love to him. The letters say many details that emphasize Remus’ beauty, but Remus starts thinking that the stranger wants Roman. As much as Remus wants to be in love, he wants to be with Roman just as much.What is the Duke to do?(Updated - July 6)
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Thomas Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Thomas Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Thomas Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Thomas Sanders/The Sides
Series: The Notecards [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720951
Comments: 24
Kudos: 54





	1. Introduction - Lion and Octopus

_ Lion and Octopus _

_ Big and strong and gentle and intelligent (intelligent) _

_ How could they be blue _

_ They’re at each other’s sides _

_ And have ability to hide _

_ Lion goes to Octopus _

_ Who’s sad and in a cage _

_ But that's irrelevant (irrelevant) _

_ ‘Cause _

_ They’re friends of such great prides _

_ Other kids have bikes _

_ (That's true) _

_ Or daddies pick them up from school _

_ But that won't do for them, you understand (understand) _

_ Other kids have spiders _

_ Other kids have dogs _

_ Other kids have serpents _

_ Other kids have frogs _

_ But the friend for them is something much more grand _

_ And benevolent _

_ And elegant _

_ And, um _

_ And they’re a _

_ Lion and Octopus _

_ Dancing on the coast, they’re in their element (element) _

_ It's true and a fact that there's so much you can enjoy _

_ When you’re hunting for dipnoi _

_ Oh, the Lion and Octopus _

_ Their thoughts so bad swell of it _

_ To give them such good friends _

_ Oh, Lion and Octopus _

_ You’re together to the end _

_ Lion and Octopus _

_ You’re together to the end _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dipnoi - a type of lungfish eaten by lionfish and octopi


	2. Did You Know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus is often left alone and is wishing for someone to come be with him. He is only truly close to his brother Roman.

If there had been a time when they had been together, when they had been one person, neither body of Creativity could remember. They knew that, logically, there had been a time when Creativity had existed as one, what with the terms “good” and “bad” now separating them at the root of their lives.

That was what the Shield had said before he had disappeared into nothingness, at least nothing that they could recognize.

There were times when they wanted to go back to how they used to be, but they both remembered that they were so lonely. They could remember their hands - only two! - shaping the canvas and clay of Imagination into a fine castle, their Dream, and Thomas had just been blooming into a creative force in the world. 

They could remember what happened afterward, when they split apart and they became Two. Remus’s hair had not yet turned white, and Roman’s voice had yet to gain the royal timbre that it had when Thomas was older. 

That’s when Loneliness became familiar.

While Thomas was able to perform with Roman guiding him, Remus was set to take some control over Thomas’ dreams when the world was asleep. Remus had almost complete reign over dreams. There were nonsensical trails that Thomas would go down, eventually getting trapped or becoming too frightened. Remus was attentive, going to find Thomas and showing him how to beat all the traps that Remus had inadvertently created while letting himself go freely while his brother was busy during the day.

Thomas didn’t always lean into him, but when Thomas would relax, he would ask Remus for a piggy-back ride. If Remus would tell the truth without embellishing it with unnecessary details, he would tell Roman of how wonderfully delightful it was to have the sensation of Thomas’ little puffs of breath on the back of his neck, little arms loose and limp around his neck.

Thomas was beauty, wonder, light, and every wonderful sensation that Remus had been able to feel. The feel of stepping onto sunlit grass were Thomas’ fingertips that occasionally played with Remus’ hair before he went to sleep. Remus would do anything for him -  ~~ eviscerate himself, kill the boy down the road who ripped up one of Thomas and Roman’s pictures, make him sing something inappropriate ~~ as long as ~~ he could until ~~ he got what he wanted.

However, Thomas began to grow further away from Remus. Instead of Thomas finding beauty in what others could find horrifying, knowing that it was better to steer away from certain things than just avoid it at all, Thomas pushed Remus away. He no longer dared to go down the paths that Remus had worked on. He would no longer touch the delicate horrors that Remus had bled over to create visions of Fear that Thomas could grow from. 

The Guard had begun to lead Thomas away from the hidden crevices in the Imagination, multiple eyes that were vigilant and wary. When Care began to push Remus back, to make sure that Thomas and Roman sat at the front of the Imagination’s garden, Roman pulled him to sit next to Thomas. They both loved him; why would Remus stay away.

It was different when Thomas was alone, though.

Alone, and only with the Guard, Thomas always ran away now whenever he sensed Remus near, and gone was the boy  ~~ precious child sunshine sweetling bubbly beauty that was the only other creature aside from Roman  ~~ that Remus had loved.

Roman would come to comfort him at night, the gentle dim Sunlight that Remus would reflect back to his brother in measured bursts of Moonlight. He would show Remus everything that Thomas did that day, and even Remus’ influence couldn’t be ignored. 

Thomas could imagine dragons and spiders, scary snakes and evil witches. Oh! - even if all of Remus’ influence was bad, Thomas was enjoying himself and making new things in the Imagination; and because of this, Remus never minded that Thomas found him scary or bad, as long as he was able to be helpful to his boy. Remus still saved Thomas from nightmares, after all.

Sometimes, there were tales among the Sides and the Others of an eclipse, where for an instant, the Creativity-that-was would return, and Thomas would be in awe. Usually at night, because the world couldn’t witness it, but Remus and Roman would disappear, and the King would return, ready to rule over his Kingdom within Imagination, and Loneliness no longer existed.

Remus never remembered those times, though.

Roman couldn’t remember them either  ~~ or so Remus recalled him saying ~~ , and as Thomas grew, Remus was banished further into the darkness of Imagination, Roman having to travel further every night to make sure his brother was doing well.

They didn’t know how much time had passed; the Imagination was whimsical when it came to time, and they didn’t always have a way to keep track of time here and in Thomas’ world. 

What they did know was that the eclipses were far and few, and Remus was getting lost in the Loneliness that came with the Imagination, a sense of disconnect that was only getting worse in Remus, no matter how many stories Roman told to keep away the awful feelings.

On this night, Remus was waiting for his brother. The stars lit up the beaten path that had grown again  ~~ by feet, meters, lengths, or fathoms ~~ and that would bring Roman back to him.

How long had they existed? Roman had become a Prince to rule over their kingdom in Imagination well, devoted to their people and always ready to answer the call to adventure that Imagination would create at Thomas’ will or even its own volition. The Creativity was a volatile and unpredictable thing; it had given life to Roman and Remus both, after all.

Remus had become a ruler without responsibility. Remus had become a Duke who could attend to all the small things that Roman could not see. Remus had a much more in-depth insight into the Little People’s lives, one that Roman couldn’t envision; those were the limitations of Creativity on a grander scale, but Remus was in charge of nitty-gritty details that often would break a story without Suspension of Disbelief.

“No hair to climb, but nevertheless the sight granted to me, sublime~”

Remus sat up, spying his brother in the moonlight. Roman stared back at him from the doorway, his blanket wrapped around his shoulders like one of their capes. Roman waved to the bed, and Remus obeyed as he always did when he had his usual stint of nightmares and Loneliness. As Roman came close, the scent of cinnamon and sugar accompanying him with the noxious scent of roses, Remus felt his body tremble, his skin undergoing a chill that made goose-flesh creep and take over his flesh.

“Come.”

“I will.”

Roman climbed into bed, the glide of their clothed legs smooth and warm. The blanket around his shoulders was a fire over Remus’ body, warm and all-encompassing.

“That was awful.”

“It’s late and I’m tired. I don’t mind.”

They settled onto each other. Remus moved his legs like clockwork, Roman letting one leg of his fall between Remus’ legs and the other out to trap one of Remus’ legs between his own. Roman rested his head over where a human heart would be if they were human; instead, the grinding sound of a ratchet was heard, clicking and ticking in a way that made Roman shudder.

“Scared?”

“You’re here. Why would I be scared?”

Roman sighed as Remus threaded his fingers through the Prince’s hair. Soft and silky, clean and smooth - these were the sensations that Remus associated with Roman’s energy and power. Roman was powerful and careful, every motion precise and easy. 

Remus could destroy the world under his fingers just with a simple wave of his hand, destroying anything he would want to create. Roman would disagree, his own ticking heart steadfast in his chest.

“When did we meet last?”

“That doesn’t matter, really…”

No, it didn’t.

* * *

Being a part of Creativity was amazing. Roman had his Kingdom. ‘Twas a metropolis that was interwoven into the fringes of Remus’ Domain. Both areas had inspiration from the gallantry of King Arthur’s tales, the houses and kingdoms of wisdom of fictional Arabia (Agrabah not being a subtle influence), and even the futuristic realms influenced by Japanese films and anime. There was always something to gain their interest; if not, they could just Create it!

There was an order maintained, as the Imagination populated itself with villagers, city-goers, and those who maintained their position in the Imagination by performing tasks that Thomas had imagined essential in any fantasy setting, classic or unorthodox. All of the characters that Thomas had created for his videos and Vines were here as well. Remy and Emil even lived in the area of the metropolis that was more modern when compared to the rest of the fantasy world.

Magicians, law-men, villains, and healers - there was nothing that the Imagination didn’t offer!

Roman and Remus would find each other at night, ready to Create dreams that Thomas could indulge in, and now that Thomas was an adult and he had learnt of Remus, they could have even more freedom!

Thomas didn’t enjoy everything that Remus Created, but Thomas would be loath to say that he hated some of the dreams that came at night. Ghostly hands that worshiped his body and lips that sang litanies to Thomas, because Thomas had no lover there to press himself against; oh, Remus had fun Creating dashing rogues and handsome princes that he could entice into his bed, ones that would worship the darker side of Creativity!

Roman would observe occasionally, a cursory glance from the Passionate light of Creativity. Sometimes, Roman would send someone to Remus, letting his brother indulge in a lover that was something else. Roman never engaged in those types of fantasies, ones that were rooted only in the flesh. Roman appreciated the beauty but he never indulged in the dreams; he was waiting for Thomas to find someone, and they would all be happy then.

Surely, when they wouldn’t have to sleep alone again...

* * *

As Remus settled to rest with Roman, he listened to Roman talk about how cross he was.

“What?”

“A morning-star. To the head!” Roman pouted, pressing his pursed lips to Remus’ forehead. It was a closed-off kiss, and it didn’t matter; Roman had never closed off his heart to Remus  ~~ though he had certainly earned the right to close Remus off in the past ~~ .

“But I wanted to surprise you!”

“... Did it have to hurt like that?” Roman pulled away, looking at Remus’ eyes. They were looking for something that Remus didn’t know if he could even emote! Before Remus could argue, Roman pressed him down into the mattress.

Remus might be cursed with hard-hitting truths as a large part of his speech, but his body enjoyed the softness of a down-filled mattress. It was on top of the much firmer, much more modern mattress that Mom had gotten Thomas too many years ago to matter, but it let Roman push Remus into the plush without suffering the harshness underneath. Even as Roman scowled down at him, Remus bit his lip to keep from moaning at the softness beneath him.

“You need to let Thomas call you from now on.”

Remus blinked up at his brother.  “Do you think he will?”

He tried not to sound excited by the idea that Thomas  ~~ his boy his light his love his very God that commanded and demanded Remus into being back when the boy didn’t realize the exceptional potential that he had hidden away in that little body ~~ would actually ask for Remus’s input, but Roman saw right through him. Roman smiled down at the lesser-titled brother  ~~ that was filthy disgusting dull evil ~~ and pressed a kiss to the center of Remus’ forehead.

“Of course he will, my dear. You know,” Roman began, settling down to rest on Remus’ chest, “he’s nervous, but he’s a bit more excited now. I told him that you made him have those… more sultry dreams, and he is intrigued! It’ll be wonderful, dear, I promise you!”

With that, Roman settled into the wondrous world of sleep, body limp and chthonic with the ethereal light of a yellow star still burning bright from him. It dared to harm Remus, but Remus had never been averse to pain.

Oh, Remus could smell Roman’s hair. It smelt nauseatingly disgusting; for sunshine and butterflies, the blood of a freshly conquered foe, and the scent of begonias.  ~~ Remus, on the nights when he would lay on Roman’s chest, would be burning brighter than the corona of the eclipse. His hands would wander down, the tentacles that his body had stroking the animalistic features that Roman couldn’t hide while he was asleep, dreaming. It was the one time that Remus had ever entertained the notion that Roman could be a fraction of a monster like he was. ~~ It was everything that Remus could ever desire from his brother.

Thomas would get rest tonight, especially after Remus’ fantasies had gone awry the night before. He didn’t know why they wandered down that path, but Remus was never one to look away from the prospect of any kind of entertainment.

Roman’s arms tightened around Remus’ waist, the Prince humming some strange tune as Remus fell into sleep as well.


	3. Tragic Events I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A while after Remus has been introduced to Thomas (several months later, think after Halloween), Remus gets a letter from a secret admirer. Roman comes and - Ah, love! - is immediately intrigued. Remus is entranced with his admirer's poem and begins to have some... *ahem* naughty ideas, which Roman helps him take care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a translation of the poem, please see my Tumblr link: https://sassy-postal-shipper.tumblr.com/post/622186854384599040/wonne-in-the-rungs-poem-translation

It arrived many days later. Too many, in terms of the Imagination.

Remus had examined it for any kind of poison or toxin that would manage to burn his fingers or his airway. (That did happen once, and Roman had been pissed to find Remus in one of the hospitals, ready to hunt the traitor to the Crown down. Remus had heard of the prisoner, well-taken-care-of but punished severely, as it should be.)

It was lovely, in its own way. Remus didn’t find beauty in only the macabre and forbidden, though that was a lot of what he found fascinating. The envelope was black with an embossing of gold on it, gilded with images of peonies, roses, magnolias, and mistletoe.3a

He was staying up in the penthouse of one of the strange skyscrapers that he had decided to stay in with Roman for this past week. The sky was clear with only the ghost of rain coming down. The sunshower made the day beautiful, the garden on the balcony glittering from the dew.

Remus stayed at the table, eating the tripe stew that Roman had made him for lunch. Roman had made it well; he had seasoned it well and had let Remus add the meat ~~while it was still bloody and fresh from the cow that Roman had slain in the wilderness outside of the Village. It was amazing that Roman could do the things that Remus enjoyed, the Prince covered in blood and willing to give Remus a kiss on the forehead for their troubles~~. He sat eating with his little guest, the envelope propped up against the flower vase filled with nightshade berries and marigolds.3b

A loud burst from the door had Remus smiling and standing, ready for the loving assault that was sure to happen.

“Hello, Remus!” Roman came running, catapulting himself towards the young man that held the same face as he did, though the lesser-titled man - willowy and slender - seemed to not have the strength to support the robust, iron-strong Prince.

However, upon further inspection, one would notice that the willow branch arms of the Duke did not falter but did bend at the weight that fell against him. The willow branch arms wrapped around the oak trunk body well, strong and supportive.

Remus looked Roman over; his brother was wearing clothing that were semi-modern with enough regalia that he looked like a painting. The epaulettes on Roman’s shoulders were golden with small knobs of silver, decorated with the face of Queen Victoria ~~the groovy bitch~~. The jacket maintained the style of the 1920s but the shirt underneath was something that Thomas had worn to a party or graduation - simple but formal enough to not look out of place. The trousers were plain, a timeless style, but the shoes and belt - leather and shined to a mirror-like state - were the true eye-catchers.

“Don’t you look pretty?” Remus teased. Roman pulled away enough from the embrace to pout. The Prince looked the Duke over.

“What about you? You look gorgeous.” Remus smiled, pulling at the collar of his shirt enough to make it pop upward. His skirt - with leggings underneath because it was cold as a witch’s tit up this high - had a long cut up the side, its under-the-knee length effectively useless at giving Remus any sense of propriety. His boots hugged the shape of his calves and gave him just enough of a heel to conquer Roman’s height by just a centimetre.

“What is this?” Roman turned away from his brother, his attention caught by the envelope that was decorated in gold foil flowers. Golden roses caught both men’s attention, the filigree lovely and almost too perfect to exist in Imagination.

“I seem to have gotten a letter…” Going to the centre of the table, Remus held up the envelope that held the cause of his dismay ~~disarray holy shit what if it was poisoned was the ink poisoned could he be hurt by poison what if it hurt Roman~~. Roman looked at it, eyes of whiskey-brandied-sugar full of excitement and mirth.

“Who could have brought it to you?”

“I found it at the apothecary’s building, there in the West District, this morning. I’d gone by to get some cantarella3c, and he gave me this.”

“Oh, of course!” The faceless apothecary, because they had not gotten to develop his character fully just yet, was one of Remus’ companions. He was attentive and careful, following instructions for poultices and cures, and poisons, to such a degree of precision, they could have sworn that Logan had created him.

Some of the people in their Kingdom were quite enraptured with Remus, some leaning toward his personality in the way that flowers would lean toward the Sun. With that, the Imagination granted the people of its Substance the ability to grant the two men of Royalty favors, adventures, quests to entertain them and strengthen them.

Roman was given dragons and villains to fight, Remus had schemes and adventures to go on.

Occasionally, the Imagination created beings who were enamored with the Prince and the Duke. They were pursuits of love that Roman usually took to, though hardly sharing details with his brother. Roman swore to always love the man that their Thomas would one day be smitten with, ready to encourage their beloved charge towards his happiness. Remus had never been taken with anyone, always ready to see how far he could push Thomas so that he could reveal Thomas’ darker thoughts ~~because if someone was going to love Thomas, they were going to love all of him and never leave~~.

However, the apothecary - Darius - had always had a liking to Remus, ready to provide any stray information from the short-term memory access in Thomas’ mind that Remus could use to turn into his own experimental bit of fun.

“Is it from Dari?”

“No, he’s too enamored by his potions and elixirs.” Remus sighed; he could have had some fun with Darius Jagger, but Dari only looked at the scales, measuring out a medication for some woodward that had gotten into poison oak again.

“Well, have you opened it?”

“... No.”

“Well, open it!” Roman’s cheeks had turned into beautiful lady apples, ready to be bitten into with razor sharp teeth. He reached for the envelope, but Remus pulled back and let out a growl. “Come on!”

“Fine! I’ll do it, though!” Remus examined the envelope, its linen texture a wonder to behold. It smelt of begonias and honeysuckle3d, ready to lose their petals and sweetness. They didn’t match what was on the outside, but they smelt heavenly. He carefully opened the packaging - “I’m going to examine it for semen later.” \- “Sure, whatever - open the letter!” \- and the letter came out easily. Unfolding it led to nothing falling out, but the words inside were almost chipping away, drying and leaving their residual stain on the sheets.

Remus could identify the smell anywhere, and so could Roman.

“Blood.”

Remus looked down at the words, ready to take them in with not just the iron-clad scent of blood but also in what they could be in their meaning.

The loops of letters - cursive and lovely, though somewhat archaic - were upright, no slant to them at all. It looked clinical and calculated, and yes, the stains of blood that were there were only there where the blood had fallen off, coagulated. Remus stared at the letter, feeling his dick start to harden as he continued to breathe in the wonderful scent of blood but he held himself back from touching himself while Roman was present ~~because he didn’t want to bother his Roman, his beautiful love who had always seemed asexual but definitely appreciative of the human form~~.

“What does it say?”

Remus smiled, pressing himself to Roman’s side as he read aloud...

I hear the Twittering Twitter of the Heart that loves a King

All hearts beat out for the glory of our green Gossamer King

Regalia thrown about - teeth, sweetmeats - to reveal the gem inside

Sinew and muscle, bile and bleeding - my squall for the squall that us ruling

And on those lips, mine name darenot hide or be spoken as a lie

Or dare risk - or call out for - my hands your mouth does - will find - divine

On my bed, rose and camellias3e, for my stale to your mark-white

Be bed-fere on a trundle-bed in the mean of the Night's sweet song

Wonne inside - I breathe into you as I settle into your rungs

Your Majesty may wite me, as I am to take all fellness

But in your maugre of my name on your decree, ever among

As you are of beauty beastly, chimera in eyes exampless

How I wish to repay my love for you, bathed in wine respasses

Sleeping in your ribs, kissing hearts, drinking your blood-wine in the night

"That is..." Roman turned to Remus, holding his hand as those quivering fingers threatened to tear apart the paper in their grasp. Roman helped Remus onto the couch in the sitting room, kindly ~~cruelly~~ avoiding Remus' erection that was now straining against the fabric of those leggings and the skirt that had been to accentuate the Duke's beauty. Roman stayed silent, his remark still unfinished as he waited for Remus to come back from whatever fantasy had possessed him.

Remus slowly made eye contact with Roman, green eyes meeting those deep red eyes that looked too much like the lovely apples that they had once planted, when they were whole and perfect and Thomas was not yet old enough to know the cruelties of the world in good faith. Remus sighed, leaning into his brother and trying to suppress himself. It hurt, but it was for Roman ~~and everything was for Roman and Thomas what else would Remus live for? if not for them-~~

"Do you want help, Remus?" Roman whispered, and the scent of clinical observation wafted off of him into Remus' nose. Remus shuddered, nodding.

Roman was gentle; he had always handled Remus like one of the damsels that he would save from a horrid beast that the Imagination had constructed. Even in more modern hero fantasies, where Roman would save a hostage and suffer so much torture, Roman handled everything with grace and a resilience that made Remus ~~love~~ admire him more. Even now! - Roman was stroking Remus as though he were precious, brother holding brother in the mimicry of paramours.

Remus pressed kisses to his brother's cheeks, moaning and crying out sounds that were reminiscent of large animals in heat. He bared his neck, hoping to be bitten but only receiving trembling kisses from troubled lips. Perturbed was his brother's brow, clinically focused on letting Remus receive the pleasure that both had gotten from the scent of blood - Roman in blood-lust and Remus in the very marrow of where lust laid3f. Remus could only imagine that Roman was picturing some great beast that he had taken down in battle, the utter joy and excitement of his triumph on his face being more pleasure and satisfaction than Remus could have ever desired to express upon his countenance.

With a cry that rattled the table in the dining area, Remus reached the peak of orgasm and opened his eyes later. The air was cold, had lost the scent of blood, and Roman had left while the sun had still been up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3a Plant meanings:  
> Peonies - Bashful, happy life  
> Roses - (dark crimson) Mourning, (red) Love  
> Magnolias - Love of nature  
> Mistletoe - Poisonous plant associated with kissing on Christmas
> 
> 3b Plant meanings:  
> Nightshade berries - Poisonous berries  
> Marigolds - Despair, grief, jealousy
> 
> 3c Cantarella - A poison that has quite a bit of mythology around it. Containing arsenic and other alkaloids, it was used often by the Borgia family during the Renaissance, when poisoning became a very popular means of dispatching enemies.
> 
> 3d Plant meanings:  
> Begonia - Beware; dark thoughts  
> Honeysuckle - The bonds of love
> 
> 3e Plant meanings:  
> Rose - (red) Love  
> Camellias - (red) You’re a Flame in My Heart
> 
> 3f Roman and Remus are both aroused by blood, either in attention and/or sexual lust. They both live for adventure and are not opposed to feeling pain. Getting aroused by the scent of blood is not strange to them, and neither is touching each other. It's another level of skinship for them.
> 
> *Skinship is the relationship between two+ people that involves skin contact, either familial, platonic, and/or sexual.  
> **Babies have skinship with their parent(s), and it is encouraged with newborns so that they can develop a healthy bond with their parent(s). People that hug have skinship, and this can be interpreted in many ways in many cultures.  
> **In Japan, a couple holding hands can be seen as a level of affection that is too much for societal display (called "icha-icha"). In American culture, hugs and hand-holding are rather innocuous compared to other forms of affection. They can have different implications or meanings depending on the relationship.  
> ***Siblings holding hands in itself isn't strange, but my sibling and I hold hands quite often when we are out in the world, due to our co-dependence, her autism and brain damage, and my depression and dissociative coping skills. We are both independent and can function separately, but we are each other's comfort. Culturally, it can be strange, but that's how our skinship works.


	4. A Campaign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a misunderstanding occurs.
> 
> Remus sends a poem back to his admirer for the first time. When he spends time with Thomas, Remus finds himself talking about his admirer. Thomas is overjoyed, but he suspects that something is off. The writing seems familiar. Before Remus can ask about Thomas' suspicions, Roman appears, happily joining Thomas and his brother. He also announces his own quest for love, that he has finally gotten a letter back from his object of affection, and Remus doesn't quite know how to take that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so my updating schedule is now ruined because of work and home. I'm going to try every other Thursday for this story.
> 
> Next update - June 18

I see him walking in the starlight  
Never aiming gaze upon the sky  
Should he glance upwards true  
I would burn into a brilliant hue

Of fires unlike those ever seen  
By any human old or green  
Putrid - bright - beguiling hue!  
Which only blinds him from my view

Why hide the cleaver, bonding tool of heat,  
When you can see and carve into me sweet  
You taste of embers, burning into my skin  
Burning into my mouth with the knowing within

The paper was crisp, parchment - and it smelled of angelica and begonias.

Remus curled into his pillow, shuddering as he finished the sixth letter that he had gotten. It seemed so flow inside of him, the rhyme and metre of the fond phrases that made his stomach spill out acid into the bottom of his torso. He set the letter on his nightstand, the cool air in his tower just gracing his skin with a surface of goose-flesh that the Duke appreciated. The only thing that would make it go away was if Roman-

“No, stop that.”

Remus whimpered, plunging his hand into his abdomen. Among the fascia and blood, his fingers stroked everything they could without travelling downward towards his cock. He could feel the mess of intestines, wild and unorganized save for how they connected at their ends, and he was enthralled at the pure chaos that made his Thomas.

Beautiful Thomas.

Beautiful Roman.

He had never felt this way before. Roman would be the only one who would drive him to such great feelings of awe despite the horror of what he was - sinner and ecstasy. Now that he’s received more and more letters, Remus found himself more in love with nighttime than he had been before. At nighttime, surely, for starlight he was in his admirer’s eyes, his mysterious paramour would be writing, and Remus would be asleep, unknowing of how his paramour would be writing of him, thinking of him…

Remus had always wanted Roman in this way, but now, here was someone who could receive his affection. He could tear himself into their body, nestled among their ribs to have an even closer embrace, one that angels would be furious at and one that Edgar Allen Poe could go fuck his spleen with a broken laudanum bottle over.

He wanted to write to him - them - no, probably him, though Remus wouldn’t deny a warm cunt to push into. He wanted someone who had all of the energy and could receive all of the energy that he had. Why would their hole be the deciding factor?

Remus cursed as he yanked his hand out of his fascia and used the blood as lubricant to hasten his climax. He tried to ignore the lovely visions of Roman and Thomas fluttering along the surface of his mind. He dug the tip of his thumbnail into the dip of his urethra, and he cried out. Remus cried out hard as he left himself a bloody mess good Lord, if he was human, he would be pissing blood for days! and enough cum that he could definitely write several letters to his admirer…

Wait.

Remus, no.

Remus, yes!

* * *

Dear Votary, who has sent me letters  
Not any longer find yourself fettered  
For screams come on wings of delight-morose  
Far lovelier than that, your golden rose

Your hay of words have made good haye indeed  
That you think, foolish buffoon, cause me need  
Amort, I was - but I blind, amoret,  
As I wait for you, eager, bleeding yet

Litanies you’ve written to me, sweetling  
All defenses sharp, tyrant, are weak’ning  
I curse your words that have me asundered  
Have me cry out - No storm as loud thundered!

* * *

Remus had written much the same way, but this time, there was indeed semen in his blood-ink. Honestly, it was rather impressive, especially once he added the embossing glitter to it.

He delivered the letter, sealed in a black envelope labeled “RON=O”. He had labeled it “RON=O” because it felt right and good. Dari gave him a gentle nod and offered him an antidote for poison, named the same as the envelope.

Remus smiled, popping the antidote’s container and breathing in the healing, relaxing fumes. He gave Dari a gentle kiss on the cheek and a rough grope of the ass before the apothecary smacked at his wrists. With that, and a small smile from Dari, Remus flitted away, sticky and monstrous wings sprouting from his back. With that, he flew back to the tower that Thomas had imagined Rapunzel in when he was just a boy.

Remus always loved the thorny bramble around his home. He loved even more that Roman traversed through it every night. More than several times, Roman had been blinded, but Remus would find time to sing every night, sing and allow his brother to follow the sound of his voice. Never has his Prince failed to find the way, and Remus would kiss the blood away, Roman’s eyes reforming.4a

As he expertly navigated the bramble, Remus could still find those bloodied branches and thorns that Roman had left behind. Over twenty years of this, and Roman still got caught in the same places. It was as though the Prince wanted to be hurt the same way every time, or perhaps he was preoccupied.

Now that Thomas knew that he existed, Remus would have the occasional visit. On today of all days, Thomas had come, holding some books in his arms.

They went over descriptions of things that fascinated Thomas, and in turn, Thomas indulged Remus in the exploits that the darker side of Creativity loved. Remus told Thomas about jumping off of bridges, finishing with a perfect dive into the bay below the Golden Gates and splatting like Tom the Cat. He had Thomas laughing with dramatic readings of _1984_ , which Winston spinning dramatic, disgusting flirtations with Julia who-

“Are you serious?”

“Julian is a serious name, Thomakin, dear,” Remus chided, before continuing to weave the tale of Winston and Julian who managed to stop the Proles uprising and still somehow fell victim to Big Brother with a very unusual and disturbing form of torture with Room 101 for Winston.4b

Thomas was laughing and calling out those more than disturbing comments. The small lines of laughter on his face; Remus could remember when no lines yet existed. They were new pathways for his love to investigate. Perhaps his admirer could write to Thomas’ beauty.

“Remus?”

“Ah, nothing, my dear!” Remus giggled, pressing himself against Thomas’ side again. Remus continued, laughing and turning to an author that Thomas felt too disturbed by to really make a story of. Remus instead pouted and began to sing a rather crude song, drawing another spiel of laughter from his Thomas.

What would be the Creature that he would present to Thomas as a lover, a concept from the Imagination that Remus would show genuine affection for? Would his Thomas express approval? Disgust? Arousal?

“What’s wrong, Ree?” Thomas tapped Remus quickly on the nose, making a little “boop” sound as the Side seemed to stare into the wall. Remus repeated the noise, looking to his host.

“What?”

“You’re quiet. Either you’re scheming or you’re preoccupied with something.”

“Well…” Remus groaned, pressing kisses to the underside of Thomas’ jaw, as it was the only affection that Thomas tolerated for now, at least. “Would you hate me if I fell in love?”

“Really?!” Thomas pulled away, mouth wide with a smile. Remus didn’t know what to do in response, so he just stared back. Thomas surprised him with a forceful kiss on Remus’ cheek. Kill him please. This will always be the best day of his life! “I didn’t know that you could fall in love with other people- Wait, in the Imagination or the Mind Palace? Is it one of my friends?”

“No, they’re here,” Remus explained, going on about the notes that were so wonderful and how intimate the poems were. When Thomas asked for details, Remus carefully described them, holding out one most recent message for his host to examine.

The Raven in the Sea4c

There is a raven that sits by the sea  
Never does it falter, never does it fall  
“Why don’t you fly, blackened bird?”  
But never does it answer me

There is a man that lives by the sea  
There he has lived, and there ends his days  
And the raven stands watch over those who pass  
The raven gives them all company

A family, a village, a soul lost at sea  
The raven stands attentive and strong  
Mourning and remembering them all  
The raven nevers remembers me

The raven lives there by the sea  
Never does he talk to me or looks to me at all  
Still, I love that raven who stands firm  
Will he remember if I jump into the sea?

“Never,” the raven does reply, lungs full of the sea  
His breath smells of salt and stings my eyes  
My tears finally make the raven turn his head  
He smells a meal and licks my face clean

“You moved,” I say, ignoring the sea  
The raven nods, staring me down  
“Will you remember me?” he asks  
“Always,” I say, hearing the crash of the sea

The raven spreads his wings over me  
I am cradled in love, blackened down  
We embrace, climax, and I settle in  
My wings black, as the old raven jumps into the sea

“...That was eerily pretty.”

“Isn’t it?” Remus smiled and clutched the letter tight to his chest. He could feel himself getting hard again, but he restrained himself, thinking instead of Thomas’ horror at him when he had hurt Logan during Thomas’ first meeting with him. “He writes me such lovely things, horrifying to you possibly, I am aware, but he knows much about me, to write me such things.”

Thomas smiled, bringing Remus close and hugging his frantically wriggling Side close.

“I just want you to be happy, Ree.”

“Thank you, my love, my dear, my Thomas.” Remus sighed, pressing kisses to the underside of Thomas’ jaw, as it was the only affection that Thomas tolerated for now, at least. “You feel his love, don’t you?”

“It certainly seems… flowery? I didn’t know that you liked that kind of writing.”

“What kind of writing?”

“Um, okay. This is gonna sound weird-”

“Thomas, I can make it weirder if you like.”

“What I mean… It sounds like something Roman would like?”

Remus tilted his head, looking down and gazing at the words. They were moving now, an angry form that melted repeatedly into roses and azahar blossoms. No, not azahar blossoms… Fleurs d’oranger!

“Do you really think that?”

“Ree, no, don’t- You know I’m bad at this!” Thomas hugged his Remus close, kissing his forehead and anywhere else that was close. “I just don’t want you to get hurt! If this person really likes you, and I mean, holy shit, he writes such nice things for you - right up your alley, my little trash boy! You should be happy! I know that you and Roman don’t get along, I shouldn’t have-”

“Who told you that we don’t get along?” Remus felt his heart shrink, the pressure in his lungs too great, and he pulled away, coughing up liquefied portions of his heart. Thomas patted his back.

“I assumed? Sorry.”

“No, you see-” Remus coughed, wiping at his mouth with his handkerchief. He told Thomas of how they came to be, first one and then two. He told Thomas of how they were always together but then they separated when Care and Shield had demanded it. They shared a domain, all of their Kingdom of Imagination, and they always shared a bed to sleep together, slumbering under the moonlight. They were close, and they had never hated one another!

“Then, why did you hit Roman, on the day that you and I met?”

“I just wanted to surprise him…” Remus let Thomas pet his hair, Thomas humming some song that Remus often enjoyed. “That’s a naughty song, Thomas. Are you messing with me?”

“Just thought you’d want to listen to something nice.”

This was nice.

“You know something?”

“What, Ree?”

“I don’t want to leave Roman.”

“No?”

“I don’t want to sleep with someone else at night. I want to be in our room, where we can tell each other stories and make up games to play. Did you know that the Moon’s always been associated with insanity or death?”

“I did know that, lunatic,” Thomas chuckled, “but I know that you deserve happiness, Ree. All of you do, for putting up with all of my bullshit. You don’t have to give yourself up to be in love, you know.”

“What if he doesn’t understand?”

“Then… Then I think you need to figure out what you want from him.” Thomas cradled his Duke close, pressing kisses to the underside of Remus’ jaw, as it was the only affection that Thomas tolerated to show for now, at least. “I’ll kick his ass if he hurts you, though. It’s my Imagination.”

“Roman would beat you to it.”

Thomas smiled. “Roman loves you a lot, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah…”

Doesn’t he?

“Thomas!”

Speak of the wolf!

“Roman!” Thomas waved the Prince over, smiling and laughing as the Prince sat at their feet, his hair curling against Remus’ knees from where he sat. “Where’ve you been?”

“In the Kingdom of Alcenon, where true love reigns!”

“... There are more Kingdoms?”

“Well, the landmass is part of the Imagination,” Remus explained. “We rule over all of it, but we keep our attention somewhat separate.”

“I rule over Alcenon and the Sea of Mira,” Roman added, “and Remus rules the Southern Taigas and Gloire4d.”

“You guys have so many responsibilities…” Thomas grimaced a bit, a small tingle of Anxiety under his skin, but he chose to ignore it, not wishing for Virgil to hear all of this and get even more worried. “How do you do it?”

“The Imagination has a different meter of time, dear Tommy-”

“Roman, no.”

“Roman, yes. Anyway,” the Prince continued, “for us, we have been here for an unequal amount of time compared to you. That is how we were able to guide you and advise you in your youth.”

“That makes sense.” Thomas sighed, holding Remus close again. “And you all have your own goals, your feelings… dreams…”

“Yes,” Roman agreed. “We have our own lives, amazingly.”

“Anything up with you, cream puff?” Remus asked, happy to focus on his brother again. “Have you fought the slime giant that is living in the swamp? He’s got an amazing sense of direction that left me-”

“Hey, now,” Roman chided, standing and placing a finger on Remus’ smiling lips. “Don’t be naughty. I know what you’re thinking.”

“Like, all the time?”

“No, just when we want to share the idea, Thomas.” Roman smiled to Remus and Thomas both. “No, I haven’t fought the slime monster. I’ve been dealing with another conquest.”

“Of what, Roro?” Remus took Roman’s finger into his mouth, sucking on it and laughing at Thomas’ expression of confusion. “Tell the Big Bad Duke what kind of monster you were tackling today. Maybe I made it!”

Roman smiled, holding up an envelope.

“Love.”

Remus smiled. It stayed stuck on his face as he stared at the envelope. It hurt.

“You, too?” Thomas looked to Roman, then Remus, and to Roman again. “You’re in love?”

“My heart belongs to you, Thomas, but yes, this Prince has found his charming Prince and I have aimed to take their hand to hold for eternity.”

Thomas let go of Remus, hugging Roman as well. Roman embraced his host before reaching out to Remus. Remus stared at the hand before grabbing it and being pulled into a tight embrace.

Thomas and Roman felt so hot.

Remus smiled, closing his eyes and massacring the imaginary figure that his mind had conjured when his brother professed love to someone else. Roman belonged to Thomas ~~and to Remus Thomas Remus Thomas Remus~~.

“I’m so happy for you, Roro.”

Roman smiled, pressing a kiss to Remus’ lips. It was short, dainty, and ever so cold. Roman blushed, smiling brightly at Remus.

“You, too. In love I mean?”

“...”

What would make his smiling, blushing brother happy?

“Yes.”

Roman began to laugh, boisterous and joyful enough to make the trees around them quake. It sounded like victory and loss.

The forests of Alcenon were glowing that night, a bright beacon that Remus could stare at from his room while Roman slept just behind him; the twins were curled on their sides, Roman to Remus’ back and sound asleep while Remus cried silently, acid curling in his intestines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4a This detail is included from the story of Rapunzel, whose Prince did fall from the tower and was blinded by the thorn bushes that were at the base of the tower.
> 
> 4b This is a reference to 1984 by George Orwell, as well as my dislike for the phrase "happy ending".
> 
> 4c Reference to Edgar Allan Poe, one of my favorite poets.
> 
> 4d The names for the Four Kingdoms are varied in origin:  
> Alcenon - I thought of this word on the way to work one day. It actually came from another RemRom story that I have in the works.  
> The Northern Sea of Mira - Meaning "sea" or "ocean" in Sanskrit, "peace" or "world" in South Slavic languages - This is also from the Spanish conjugation for "see" - "to see" being "mirar".  
> The Southern Taigas - I just thought it was neat :)  
> Gloire - French for "glory"  
> **I speak Spanish and French, and I have rudimentary study in other languages as well. I use that in a lot of my fics.


	5. Tragic Events II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning, Roman and Remus find the last home of the King of Creativity, in a clearing and house called Traum. There, the Dragon Witch makes her appearance and makes sure that the Prince and Duke know that the King had all the power, not them. Roman and Remus escape her wrath, only for Remus to have to leave when Patton arrives. Remus is quite sneaky and sees a side to his brother that has him running away)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter became super long. Footnotes at the end!

“Huh.”

The forests had always surrounded Remus’ tower, as both Prince and Duke would always sleep there.

It had been that way since they were small, since they had been made as separate.

~~It wasn’t lonely when they were together.~~

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, Roro…” Remus touched the glistening hematite tree, a disturbing feature in Alcenon. It wasn’t that these trees didn’t occur, they did, but it was the utter amount of anger and a feeling of destruction that had burst from the ground to give birth to this tree. “... It hates us?”

“... I think so?”

Nothing hated them here, because they were a part of it. They had villains and enemies, but those were complex, subtle, and completely out of love.

“N o.”

It was utter indifference, the only thing that could harm any Side and not just Creativity.

Roman reached out to Remus, who had reached out for Roman. ~~They needed each other more than they needed air.~~ Carefully, the twins wandered into this part of Alcenon, a part that they did not consciously make.

~~It was foreign to them.~~

“Are you okay?”

“Of course. Are you?”

Do we know?

They wandered deeper, avoiding any roots that curled upward. For the first time in years, ~~eons, eras, months, seconds, days, an eternity, but it had happened before!~~ something was in the forest. It did…

“Familiar, isn’t it?”

“I… Hey, I think you’re right.”

This was not so foreign, and they were not so young. Prince and Duke wandered further, and they found a log that they had used as a bridge when they were young. How young had they been? Too young to really measure.

“ _Traum_.”

It was a word that had connected them, the name of the forest where the King of Creativity had made them. Up ahead would be a small cottage, where the King had settled them before the fireplace, sleeping beside them. The King made them small and malleable, ready for whatever his ~~their~~ Thomas needed.

They had cried, babbled, spoke in the manner of a moment, and they had been loved, so very loved. They could still remember everything that they had gotten from His Majesty, and they knew how much the King had loved them.

And they had watched as the King…

“Remus,” Roman called, to which Remus answered, holding his brother’s trembling hand. The air still smelled of the King _Oisín _, rich and earthy, clay ready to be formed into something beautiful. Roman curled against Remus’ side, staying close as they wandered further. In these moments, they were acutely aware that one was older than the other, but they could remember which.

Soon, they saw the small building, empty and reeking of Death and despair in a way that not even the Duke could enjoy. It was haunting, and it carried the salty air of the Great Sea of Mira. 

The cobblestone pathway had been covered by scatterings of moss and weeds, nothing like the path that they had started on the day after they became Creativity. The house was simple, wood and stone - hardly modern, but it was familiar and sweet. The roof was just the same, though there were leaves all over it. The windows were still nice and square, with no glass and only shutters to cover them, though the cobwebs were well-layered on now. Ravens5a sat on the lip of the chimney, looking around and then looking at the two visitors.

“Bran?” Roman reached up, and Remus remembered the birds that had brought them to the ruling city in the Imagination. Remus remembered how those feathers had been their beacon, changing white in the darkness of a moonlit dawn to guide the brother to their Kingdom.

“Roman, look.” Remus reached out, marveling at how beautiful the hematite wings of Babd looked as he guided down to rest on Remus’ upper arm.

Morrigan stared down at them from her perch, Sétanta calling down to his friends from next to her. Maeve and Hildebrand flew over the two brothers, cawing in what seemed to be happiness. Macha, still as young as she always had been and would be, chirped at them from the nest.

They didn’t know when, but Bran and Babd were flying above them. The brothers were panting as the house grew close and closer still. They were running, the cool air of the morning curling in their lungs and birthing something wonderful inside - hope, perhaps - but it was light and painful, snowflakes quickly melting before disappearing in the heat of their bodies. The stomping of their feet, made distant and impersonal by their boots, was loud in the forest, but it became as soft and gentle as a deer’s hooves. ~~Had they looked behind, they’d see trails of blossoms and rotting fungus behind them.~~

They reached the handles of the gates, wrenching it open, because they were finally home. Remus held Roman’s hand, their fingers interlaced and tightly gripped. The dew on the grass had not yet dried, and even though they weren’t just in night-clothes, having donned coats like they would in Narnia and they had their boots on, the dew tickled their feet, feeling just like newborn rain droplets.

They were finally home.

The air inside still smelled of freshly turned firewood and the nectar of the Firebird Flower, the jar still sitting there where the King had fed them. Remus could still taste the air that had been their milk and honey for their Beginning. The King’s warmth was still here, watching them with a raven’s eyes.

“Look.”

Remus followed Roman, who pulled them to the cushion that had been their bed. 

“Were we that small once?”

~~Were we that innocent once?~~

“We were, Remus,” Roman whispered, kissing his brother’s cheek and pressing close to Remus again. "You ask that whenever we come here."

"But it's a different path every time."

Traum hid itself in the forests of Alcenon, often unable to be found for whatever length of time that they defined. The first time, Roman and Remus had stumbled upon it, meeting for the first time in years ~~eons, eras, months, seconds, days, an eternity,~~ as they were finally allowed free reign of their Kingdom, and living there for a while after.

Now, Remus was flitting over to their old stash of wine, Roman following and smiling as he grabbed his glass from the shelf.

Voilà.” Remus reached for a wine that they had made together. Roman looked at the bottle and shared a sad smile with his Duke.

Embossed onto the label was the King’s Sigil, one of the remaining things that their predecessor had left them. The King had shown them how to make the Sigil, a Castle with its proper Tower, the Sea of Mira visible. The King watched as the little Creatures that he had made, one now made two, reached for what he would give them.

Then they were only the two.

"I forgot that we made this for him... To remember him by."

"Ree... Do you want to taste?"

Remus and Roman both looked at each other.

They let out boisterous laughs.

They would not drink the wine. It was poisonous by its very design, ready to kill any villains or enemies that either Side had.

“Do the Prince and Duke miss the King?”

Roman and Remus turned, seeing a lovely woman standing in the doorway. Oh, they knew her.

“Hello, dears,” she whispered, her smile beguiling and cunning. Her dark hair curled downward, her skin pale and in stark contrast to her lovely curls and ringlets. Her eyes were transfixed upon them, brown but red, filled with fire. Her clothing was of something ancient and strong. She smelled of combat and blood, a mixture that both brothers were enticed by.

Of all things, she also smelled of milk and blood. They could remember that well. It had been her who had fed them, along with the Firebird Flower. Mixed into the nectar and honey had been her milk and blood, as the King had coddled the twins close and nurtured them. He had given them their longevity and determination. She had given…

~~I don’t want to think about that.~~

“Morrígna.”

“What are the Prince and Duke doing here?” The Morrígna did not step into the home. ~~She never did anymore.~~

“We were led, Morrígna,” Roman said, squeezing Remus’ hand. Remus squeezed back.

“Truly? Creation has not told the Morrígna, so forgive them if they do not believe it.” Morrígna curled a finger, beckoning them to come towards her. They obeyed, Roman holding his head high and Remus keeping his choking hold on the wine bottle that they had made for the King.

If Creation had not let her know, then how did they come back home?

“Morrígna,” Remus called, admiring the feathery wings on her back. The areas where Roman had cut before - flight feathers, if Remus recalled correctly - were full again, the feathers strong and sturdy.

“Yes, dear?”

“If we weren’t led-”

“-How did we get here?”

Morrígna tilted her head, thinking. The sun was still barely born, the sky adopting a beautiful rose hue that let them all know that the day was young. The ravens were cawing from the roof, which the Morrígna refused to answer as she thought. Her tail moved, however, the scaled appendage stroking the ground in a way that let the Duke know that she was weighing down every possibility, seeing what would float and what would be submerged.

“Perhaps… Have one of the Royal Sons, Heirs to the King, decided to do something more than… dangerous?” Morrígna smiled, her fangs bared and eager to punish someone. Her eyes lost the white about the iris, her eyes now beacons of unblemished red, the color of rusting blood. “Does the Duke have need of me?”

“No, Morrígna.”

“But the Duke was entertained when the Morrígna cursed at the fetch of _Ard-Rí_ Thomas’ comrade Valerie. Does the Prince remember?”

Roman groaned. Of course, he remembered. It was on camera for all of Thomas’ fans to see until the end of days.

“Yes, Morrígna, I do remember.” Roman turned to Remus. “Why did the King make her again?”

“Thomas thought that the only thing scarier than a dragon or a witch was Maleficent…” Remus could remember the day that Thomas’ nightmares had given birth to Morrígna, but it was a far-away memory that belonged to the King, truly, and Roman and Remus only held blurred visions of those memories.

“The Duke flatters the Morrígna,” the Dragon-Witch cooed, her eyes closed in the unadulterated laughter that she belted out. “Next - aha! - the Morrígna will have to beat the Prince down for his rude behavior towards the King’s Beloved.”

The King had indeed loved the Morrígna, but it was a connection of souls, both inner parts of Thomas that managed to fall for one another. For all that Thomas denied his sense of destruction, he had placed it in the King, who had let it bloom and develop in the Morrígna. There, they had found solace in one another, as two beings - Maker and made - in balance.

“Please, Diabhal-”

“Yes, Remus?” The Morrígna looked at what could have been described as her son, eyes back to brown-red but still ever so intense. “The Duke, Master?”

“What is going on?”

“The Morrígna can only discern to Prince and Duke both that they almost broke the rules.”

“I make the Rules for Alcenon!” Roman’s voice made the trees of span title="tr: Dream (German)">Traum shudder, the branches curling at his command, fear of being struck. Roman would never dare, as the fear had started when the King was still in power, but the trees remembered, and they had learned well. “What Rules could I have broken if I had not made them?”

The Morrígna let out a growl, her body changing. Gargantuan and strong, the Morrígna seized the two sons of the King in her claws, bringing them close to her snout. Fire rumbling in her throat, ready to be unleashed should the Prince or Duke displease her.

~~Not that Remus wouldn’t enjoy it.~~

“The King forbade little to you both, and Traum has been too patient with you,” the Morrígna shared, her voice powerful in their minds. ~~Did Remus just shit himself? Maybe.~~ “However, there are some rules that you two cannot break.”

“What - Diabhal, my ribs broke! - rules?” Remus felt the pain rise from his side and begin to spread. Endorphins came rushing in, and Remus began to laugh at the high that settled into his system. “Woo…”

“Go ahead - Nngh!” Remus heard Roman’s humerus break - that was the second time that it had happened in one month! - and Roman let out a guttural moan. “Fuck.”

“Little princes,” the Morrígna scolded, “Do your hearts wander?”

“Huh?”

“Are your hearts wandering, away from Ard-Rí Thomas?”

“Fuck you!” Both twins struggled from the Morrígna’s hold. Remus managed to slip out, his tentacles making the space in the Morrígna’s grasp slick. The fall into the King’s old flower bed - ~~He should really eat the weeds.~~ \- made the pain in his side all the more wonderful.

“Roro?” Remus looked around. Didn’t Roman come down with him?

“Morrígna!” Roman called, managing to slip out his broken arm. His sword was in a white-knuckle grip, the pain making fingers work harder just to keep the sword in hand. “How dare you!”

“Dare what?”

“Thomas is everything to us!”

The Morrígna laughed. “You cannot hide everything from the Morrígna, little prince. The Morrígna, who fed you and bathed you alongside the King, knows when you dare lie.”

“It isn’t a lie!” Remus shouted, standing and cursing as he needed his tentacles to help him stand. “Diabhal-”

“Child, do not rebuke the Morrígna for your sins!” The Morrígna bit at the sword and wrenched it from Roman’s grip. It fell on the ground, perhaps a meter away from Roman. Roman cried out, a snap in his shoulder and no sight of blood letting Remus know that the arm had been pulled from the socket. “You dare to love, Prince. You love one that should not be recipient of it.”

Remus froze. Roman froze.

The air smelled of rot.

“What?” Remus looked up to Roman, who was panting for air.

“The King forbade the love the Prince holds. Soon, the Duke will follow suit. That the Morrígna cannot allow.” The Morrígna opened her maw, wide enough that the Duke could count each tooth in its row. “And again…”

Remus couldn’t see how fast it happened, but the way and method of it, that he was certain. The Morrígna was screaming, falling and becoming the witch again. She cried out for the ravens, who obeyed their Master. Macha was the only one who sat still, her little wings barely new from the egg.

Roman had fallen to the flower bed, not too far from Remus. His vertebrae had extended into long spines, his coat now torn and red where the spines had erupted through the skin. Roman’s own tentacles - fewer than what Remus had but just as strong - helped to stand Roman off of the ground, one seizing the sword that had fallen from his grasp. 5b

Roman held the sword in his other hand, his spines out and angry. They were covered in Diabhal’s blood. ~~Remus wanted to see Roman soaked in blood.~~

The ravens came down covering the brothers in their wide wingspan.

“Take us to the Palace!”

The Morrígna screamed for her children, for the King’s successors, as they disappeared in the blackened wings.

“You broke the rules, dear Princes! _Eochaid_ Beloved will judge you both!”

* * *

Remus sat at his brother’s vanity table. Roman was lounging on a red-cushioned chaise, sighing as he carefully used his energy to heal his broken arm. Remus had been kind enough ~~hungry enough~~ to pop the other arm back into place.

“She said one of his names.”

“A dead name.”

For a dead man.

“Roman.” Remus stood from his seat, letting the bandages fall into place and not letting them fall into their tightly wound rolls again. His ribs were healing and the endorphins were sadly going away. Roman slowly sat up as Remus went to sit on the chaise. Remus happily let his lap become a pillow, his fingers finding themselves in Roman’s hair while his free hand, cool and smooth, laid itself on Roman’s freshly repaired shoulder.

“That feels nice.”

“Roro… Who did you fall in love with?”

Roman looked up at his brother, staring into eyes that had all the same energy that he possessed as well.

“... Someone that…” Roman stopped himself, jumping as the bone finally healed and his muscles made a sharp crackle, toxins and death finally moving out of his system. “Fuck… Shit…”

“Roman.”

“Fine,” Roman griped, “I fell in love… with… I call him my Butterfly.”

Remus stared and sighed.

“Roman, your Butterfly?”

“Shut your whore mouth, Remus.” Remus couldn’t help but laugh as Roman pouted at him. “I mean it! He was sentenced to die, and yet he has come back time and time again, as butterflies migrate and return in their splendor! Every time I see him, I fall in love, and yet I am told that it can never be.”

“How cute, Roman!” Remus waggled his eyebrows. “I bet you’ve been dying to suck his dick, considering how many times he’s died to be with someone like you.”

“I said, shut your halitosis mouth, you pox-ridden wench!” Roman’s facade was cracking, his scowl fracturing into a twisted sort of smile. “I mean, maybe. I’ve never felt… Aroused by anyone before. I imagine it, but I’m not like you, I guess. Not like Thomas, either.”

Remus shrugged.

“Life sucks, Roro, but I’m confused as to why Diabhal-”

“The dragon-witch.”

“-is so fucking pissed. The King never told us about those rules.” Remus didn’t recall the King setting too many limits on them at all, especially once Remus took his own existence into account. “Why would Diabhal \- fuck, Roman, I’m not calling her a dragon-witch - insist that there is a rule like that? Forbidding love when - fucking surprise! - part of Thomas’ Creativity is involved in romantic love?!”

Roman closed his eyes. He let his breathing even out, tension leaving him. It was palpable to Remus’ hand, which absently stroked Roman’s shoulder.

“I want to go on an adventure… Something domestic.”

“Like what?”

“A trip to the beach. With my Butterfly.”

Remus felt his heart beat skip in eighth time, his vision almost blurry.

“Why not stay here? Bring your lover here!”

“We can’t stay here, Remus. Love cannot… bloom here, not there in the forests...” Roman came close, pressing his lips to Remus’ nose, as he occasionally did. Something was different, though, and Remus wasn’t an idiot, though everyone liked to believe so. Roman’s lips trembled, and his scent was different. Gone were the simple scents of roses and chrysanthemums. Instead, the scents of angelica, begonias and columbines, gardenias and honeysuckle,5c decorated his brother in a glamour that Remus found himself trembling at. His scent was so complicated and said too many things that Remus didn’t understand. “My dear brother, come with me. Help me make my love bloom!”

“It cannot bloom like your flowers? Sweet Daddy Patty helps you all the time!”

“Yes, but Patton cannot help me with this, silly. I need only your glorious expertise in the sexual discipline and your petulant loving platitudes to sate me. You, those, and your happines.” Roman pressed another kiss to Remus’ nose, his cheeks more vibrant with the dusky colors that came with sunset. There, Remus felt the end of the day’s warmth, the sun retreating as Roman pulled away from his brother’s lap and the chaise. With a simple wave, Roman left his brother behind - as was only just - and Remus stayed, attentive and waiting to see what else would occur should he stay a bit longer.

Roman returned with another letter. The same kind of letter that had tormented Remus for a fortnight had once again come in his brother's hand. As Remus reached for it, Roman let out something like a giggle, but it was far too heavy to be so.

“Do you like the letters you get, my dear?”

Remus nodded, because it seemed like the right thing to do.

Roman’s eyes lit up like stars. Remus felt fireworks go off in his stomach, just like the ones that he had pressed into the carcass of the pig that their “father” had found on one of his walks in the Imagination years ago ~~when Thomas was still lying to himself~~.

~~The sow hadn’t been good enough for his brother to eat. It hadn’t even been good at wallowing in the dirt. When it had squealed, Remus had hated the sound, found it grating. He couldn’t understand why his “father” thought it of good quality, of good taste with wine. When she was killed, Remus was joyous, eager to dine.~~

~~Their “father” had never asked about her again, knowing that figments of follies never stayed long.~~

~~Roman didn’t mind the taste either.~~

“It’s not… bad?”

~~Isn’t it bad that I was considering leaving you?~~

“What? For you to enjoy the charms of another? For someone to acknowledge the fine beauty-” Roman began to speak, peppering kisses onto Remus’ face as he spoke in, each caress of his lips on ghastly ghost flesh. “-that is... my brother… in all of his many facets… Why had someone… not done it sooner?”

“You scare them away, Roman.”

“As I am meant to, my darling!” Roman laughed, his melodic sound breaking Remus’ heart at the beauty of it. “I am meant to protect you from harm and all things that may do you harm.”

“Hardly!” Roman pressed a kiss to Remus’ ear. The sensation was irritating, just to the surface of his skin, and it made his diaphragm jump in a spiel of laughter that Remus found addictingly painful and that Roman found himself repeating - a perfect echo of his younger brother. Remus tried to stifle the sound from his own lungs, because his brother didn’t need to spare him with the melodic disharmony their laughs made together. 

Roman didn’t take that soundly, pressing kisses to the back of Remus’ hands. With only their skin separating them from each other, Roman kissed Remus repeatedly, insistently, and so passionately that Remus fell backwards. The monstrous sound that followed would have alerted their “father”, but Remus only focused on the searing kisses to his hands.

“I’ll see you later, Remus.”

~~God could kill him now. He wanted to die right now, before their “father” got here, before he could separate them. This was always the problem when Remus came to stay with his brother, to stay in the warm light of his smile and the fire that dared to burn every sin out of him. Even the pain that bloomed across his shoulders did not deter Remus, and it didn’t deter Roman at all.~~

“Of course."

Only the stomping of their “father”’s ~~because Remus loved to think that they all were a family if only for the Loneliness to subside for a short while~~ footsteps alerted them to separate. Remus was left on the floor, given a bit more time to hide himself from Patton’s gaze, slinking away into the darkness and working on blending in with the air around them. Roman shook his head like he always did when Remus left him. ~~It’s not like he spied on his brother or something.~~

“Hey there, kiddo!”

“Welcome, Patton!” Remus looked at his hands. They shimmered for a moment before they became glossy and smooth, empty of the scars that he had gotten on his escapades. His body crept along like spilled ink on a canvas, working up to climb onto the table, just outside of Patton’s vision. Remus turned golden eyes to the guest that began to tell Roman of the passage that Thomas had read today in some periodical, something that had caught his attention, was it something else?

“So Thomas and I talked about that project that you had brought up.”

“Which one, Patton?” Roman summoned his agenda. He jumped a bit when a glossy, smooth cat crept between his legs.

“Ah! Kitty!” Patton stayed away, crooning at the animal that brought so much strife as well as love to him. Patton was always careful with his allergies, though they were just a reflection of how Thomas interacted with the Real World. If it wasn’t so endearing, Remus would have laughed.

Roman picked Remus up and stroked his brother's fur. Remus let out a purr the instant that Roman's fingers had finished their first stride, to which Patton let out a croon and Roman let out a laugh. 

“It likes you.”

“Everything here likes me, Daddy-o.” The Prince and Patton began to talk about the latest video that Thomas had asked for help with. Remus didn’t mind listening, purring continuing as Roman continued to caress his back and his sides. If only Roman could hold him close like this… or perhaps his mysterious admirer...

“Maybe this would be a clearer way of explaining it?”

“Yeah,” Roman murmured, circling the note that Logan had made in the narrative script that Thomas had developed. Remus watched, his nose twitching as he monitored what his brother did.

Remus had been invited once already to help, and he noted that Logan had written several things in regards to Remus’ contributions and suggestions.

“Do we have to use… fake blood?” Patton bit at his bottom lip.

“Remus and I thought it would be best when we talked about it the other day.” Roman’s voice was curt, though still polite. Remus mewed up at him, chewing on part of Roman’s sleeve. Roman pet the ridge of his kitten nose. “You know how dramatic we get?”

“I just don’t want to scare anybody.”

“Don’t happy endings make it worth it though?”

Patton hummed. He smiled and finally nodded. Patton took out a pen and marked the idea with his own pen, a smiley face marking Patton’s approval.

Roman smiled and reached for Patton’s hand, squeezing it gently. Remus chewed on the other sleeve again.

“He’s a little cutie, isn’t he!” Patton cooed again, wanting desperately to pet Remus’ fur. Remus didn’t really want him to.

“Very much, huh…” Roman squeezed Patton’s hand again.

“What’s wrong, kiddo? Are you feeling okay?” Patton reached up with his free hand to feel Roman’s head. Apparently finding nothing, Patton pulled away to press his hand to Roman’s chest. Roman closed his eyes.

The sound of budgie birds filled the room, the loud knocking of a woodpecker steady and even. Remus attempted to hide from the sound, climbing into Roman’s lap to hide. Often, the sound of his brother’s heart was a balm, but this was a horrid sound, his heart caving in on itself as he listened.

“Oh, Roman…” Patton stood and hugged Roman close, not jostling Remus from the Prince’s lap. “What’s going on?”

The din of birds disappeared, and Roman hugged Patton with one arm.

“... Can we fall in love?”

Patton made an inquisitive noise, pressing a kiss to Roman’s forehead.

“Of course we can. I mean, it’d probably be with who Thomas falls in love with.” Patton sighed. “We can fall in love, even with Thomas. Is… I know you’re so romantic, Roman, but what’s going on?”

“What if I love someone else more than I love Thomas?”

Patton pulled Roman even tighter to him, a pressure weighing on Roman and Remus both. There was an off-balance to the room, the world spinning, at least for Remus. Remus closed his eyes.

~~If only Patton hadn’t come, if Roman had been quiet, if Remus hadn’t been here in the first place-~~

“P-Pat.” Roman’s voice was breathless, air forced from the bottom of his lungs in an attempt to speak. Patton let out a cough, the pressure lightening enough that Roman could take in a big breath of air.

“Roman… Who is it?”

Remus let out a tiny kitten sneeze, trying to listen. Who did his brother love? What did Roman want? Remus would give it to him. Remus would devour that person whole for daring to cause trouble to his Prince.

“Roman.”

“... You were right.”

“What?” Patton murmured. “When?”

“When… When I drew my dreams for you. A long time ago.”

Remus tilted his head. This must have been when they were still separated, after Care had taken the newly hatched Play ~~and Shield had taken Menace~~ away.

Patton sighed, pulling away from the hug and patting Roman’s head.

“Roman… I know that rule, that single rule that the King… that Ideas thought of in order to make sure that Thomas would always be okay and that he’d be the center of our lives.” Patton combed his fingers through Roman’s hair, especially when they heard the original name of the King - Ideas, before he had named himself Philip and on and on and on - and this cast-iron rule that made sense with what their Diabhal - the one that had brought the Prince and Duke to the Sides - had mentioned.

“It hurts…” Remus climbed around and licked at his brother’s cheek. He knew his tongue was rough, but it only made the softness of Roman’s cheek that much more precious.

“I know, kiddo… Roman, it’ll be okay.”

“It hurts.”

“... Thanks for telling me. It wasn’t easy, was it?”

“You said. Back then-” Roman’s voice broke, and sobbing spilled out of the Prince. " _No me va a querer. ¡Ni siquiera debería quererlo!_ ”

“Shh…” Patton pulled back and pressed kisses to Roman’s forehead, ignoring the feline form of Remus that climbed down to the floor to rub his cheeks on Roman’s quivering legs. “How about we talk to Logan? Or… Or Janus, even.”

“No!” Fear wiggled its way into Remus. The Duke shuddered, feeling his form lose some of its stability as Roman’s power began to leak into the air around them. Patton closed his eyes against the force of it, but Remus ran.

He couldn’t stay.

~~What would Patton say?~~

“I don’t want that-!”

What didn’t Roman want?

Remus didn’t stay to listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5a \- The ravens are inspired by the Ravens of the Tower of London. When I went in 2018, I was able to see the environment in which the ravens are raised. Of course, there must be six ravens, but I made seven of these magnificent birds to make the seven currently at the Tower of London (as of 2020).  
> *Each of the Ravens is named after a raven in Irish mythology.
> 
> 5b \- Roman's animal, to be in line with that of Remus, is the Lionfish. They have poisonous fin rays (spines in the fins) that are harmful towards humans. Juvenile lionfish also have a tentacle (just one) that plays a role in attracting prey and in sexual selection.
> 
> 5c \- Each of these flowers have different meanings:  
> Rose and Chrysanthemums - love  
> Angelica - inspiration  
> Begonia - beware  
> Columbine - folly  
> Gardenia - secret love  
> Honeysuckle - bonds of love


	6. Have You Seen My Brother?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Minor Cannibalism, Roman having breasts (shapeshifting time, babes)

My dear, my dear, would you let me know?  
Which is in value - blood or water - more?  
When what one reaps is what one does sow  
After the winters and winds come blow  
After singing every Scripture-Psalm  
Sound upon sound, music ordained  
Louder than even a thund’ring rain  
More entrenched than any mortal pain  
In the fields and home of Traum

To be out in field, while plows are a-tilly  
The trees trembling, leaves all silly  
Clothed in beautiful, dreary, frilly  
My beloved, finer than any kinder-lily  
Lovelier than the King-Song of Psalm  
Who moves from under the ground  
Whose power comes from the underworld abound  
Crowds of praises against mine for him, drowned  
The Prince of the House of Traum

My dear, my dear, would you let me know?  
Which is in weight - tar or oil - more?  
When the towers are built, oh so high so,  
And the quarry has been dug into low  
Workers comforted in Psalm  
Gloire deserves more than glory  
A sunshine brighter than any morning  
The most unbelievable story  
Of the Prince of Traum

Princelings come and princelings go  
Why should there be one to stay or go?  
There is only one who people need know  
For whom the trumpets and whistles blow  
Accompanying a prideful Psalm  
Parent-love - nothing - does not compare  
No corpse could be as fair  
No such beauty in any pottery-ware  
Like the bones of the Prince of Traum

Through adventures and wounds  
Any bit of blood a boon  
And any wreckage fire can consume  
Perhaps it would be too soon  
To give cantor to a Psalm  
Music ordained, let it be played!  
For it is to make one so entertained  
No love should be spread twain  
For another and the Prince of Traum

The Prince did travel far and wide  
Looking for one to be by his side  
But twas not on horse he did ride  
Nor was it by carriage - no, he did ride  
On the wind-whisper of a Psalm  
For the person to company him, called  
Louder than any waterfall  
For the one was ever enthralled  
With the Great Prince of Traum

The Morrígna was tending to the ravens that her King had Created. They crowed at her, licked at her fingers, and they praised her for feeding them. She could feel them through her scales, their feet and talons trying to dig into her flesh. Macha, the smallest one, was pecking at her cheek, the Morrígna smiling at the tingling sensation of losing her cheek - muscle and blood - to the youngest raven. Macha twittered, licking at the Morrígna’s nose.

The Morrígna purred, opening her maw and stretching her jaw. Macha did not let herself be dislodged. The Morrígna settled down, her tail curling around her, ready to sleep.

“Perhaps the Morrígna shall visit Traum again…” The witch purred to the ravens. It was rare that they left, but when they did, Traum would disappear. She’d have to wait until the ravens returned to the forests of Alcenon to see her beloved’s home again. “The Morrígna wonders if perhaps this one needs to eat. As much as the Morrígna loves to care for you all, even Dragons need to be nourished.”

The ravens crooned, Bran settling into the Morrígna’s hair. The Morrígna sighed, shuffling a bit as if to dislodge the birds, but she wouldn’t dare. Displeasing them would make Traum disappear for longer.

The sound of stones, clicking down the side of her lair, made the Morrígna scent the air. On her tongue, she smelt one of the princes, one-

“ _ Enamor’d prince in Canal _ ! Dear, the Morrígna welcomes you!” The Morrígna stood, the ravens around her shuffling to new places. Her words rolled off of her tongue in an accent that made the ravens’ ears ring pleasantly. Macha fell onto her shoulder, a tendon part in her little beak. Luckily, the Morrígna could still give a beguiling smile.

The prince sighed, growling under his breath. He adjusted his belt buckle and sat down on a rock that had often been favored by him during his visits. The Morrígna smiled more widely, crooning to the ravens to allow her free movement to attend to her true Master. She curtseyed, raising her skirts to show a wonderful sense of propriety.

The prince nodded, allowing her to move about her cave as she wished. She went to a small nook in the save where she kept delicacies and refreshments for when her true Master would come to visit. Brandy-soaked sugar lumps with chestnuts were served on a tray, her container of tea pulled away for her to heat it in her strange paraffin stove. The prince thanked her and placed a sugar lump on his tongue, humming at the taste as the Morrígna began breathing fire into the slowly released gas of the small stove. The tea kettle was quickly settled onto the metal rack.

All that was left was to wait.

“... You’re really mean sometimes.”

The Morrígna chuckled, saying “The Morrígna is a dragon, an animal first, though the Morrígna sometimes feels much more human than the Masters, who dare growl and bare their offense at one of their Caregivers. You - alone - have been so indulgent in respect and awe.”

The prince looked at her, crunching through the sugar and chocolate.

“Do you need to encounter a Stork, Mother?”

The Morrígna laughed, moving her hair to bare her neck. She proceeded to take off her bracers, exposing her wrists, and the boots and leggings, baring her ankles.

“Should the Stork wish to bite, this Dragon is eager for it.”

“Masochist.”

“Sadomasochist… As the Prince and Duke are.”

The prince nodded. Princes Roman and Remus were indeed in lust for pain and blood; Remus enjoyed pain a bit more, but Prince Roman…

That man had a hunger that couldn’t be quenched. It was in the way that he had risen to be laird of Alcenon and the great northern Sea of Mira; he came with conquest in mind the moment that the legendary King had breathed his last.

Pure white to be sullied by the iron-red of blood.

“How did you find out?”

“About the Poisonous Love?” The prince looked at her, eyes scrutinizing every inch of her. He stretched out his back, letting the short spines from his vertebrae free. They tore at his jacket, the fabric almost shredded into ribbons. They could hardly be considered rags at this point. 

“Go ahead… please, Mother.”

“Beloved King desired that Ard-Rí Thomas be protected above all things.” The Morrígna waved a small fan at the fire, the tea-fire hungry and eager to obey her. The kettle began to let out a steam, and the Morrígna brought two mugs so that she may share tea with her child.

The prince stayed silent, patient for once.

“Ard-Rí Thomas was very young, you see, when the King encountered his first bit of trouble with the other Lairds. Gean and Cosaint were adamant about splintering the King into what that could provide Ard-Rí Thomas all of his potential Creativity and access to Imagination itself. Gean dug his wet claws in as Cosaint held tight; with that, the King was cleaved into white and yellow light!”

“Both colors?”

“Ah, yes…” The Morrígna nodded. “Light is made of a motley of colors, and white and yellow are no exception, young one. However, both lights were alive and glorious. The yellow light saw that the white was starving, while the yellow was almost bursting, ready to create the fire of a Star. With that, and all the love in both of them for Ard-Rí Thomas, the yellow reached out to give part of itself, and the white reached back.

“Yellow is made of red and green while white contains everything and nothing at all. Yellow gave up its bloody hue and was left only the color of emeralds, as the white gained the hue of rubies.”

“And that’s how the Princes were born.” The dragon’s son hummed over the words. It made sense; Princes Roman and Remus were of the King himself, and to imagine anything else would be to ignore the strong link between them. “What… What made them?”

“Tnúth,” the Morrígna said, sipping from her tea. The nectar of the Bi’let Wailing root sat warm in her stomachs, though they ruined her inner fire by adding an unneeded moisture that her son relished. What a shame that her offspring were more fond of the sea, but they were starlings in her eyes, little dragon-like things that lost no shame when they learnt to dive under the waves of the King’s oceans.

No, in the sea, they could fly.

“Tnúth is what Creates, dear. The desire to give or to take. It is the Longing that Created the Princes, and it is the Longing that keeps them together.”

“... So the Princes and their tnúth gives them their power?”

The Morrígna smiled.

“The Morrígna never said that, child.”

Her son frowned, shaking out his vertebral-spines. He drank his tea quickly, his throat relaxing at the hot stringency.

“So the Princes are connected to their tnúth, their longing, right?”

“Just so.”

“The Princes are enamored with the idea of being enamored-”

“No, child,” the Morrígna chided, her voice carrying the barest hint of disapproval. Her son trembled ever so slightly; his tea didn’t even react. “No, neither are so. They are incomplete by nature, and so they wish to complete themselves.”

“But what would that mean for Thomas?”

The Morrígna sat still, drinking her tea.

“Every time, it is chaos.”

“It’s happened before?!” The prince stood up, his spines already dripping venom. It had been chaotic?

Every…

“Then… What…”

“What to do? We could kill the Princes. That is how we reset it.”

“Every time, Mother?”

“Yes.”

The prince growled. “It’s either your children or Thomas… And Thomas is everything to us.”

“Of course.”

The prince nodded, bidding farewell to his mother.

“Mother…”

“Whatever you choose to do, little prince, the Morrígna will be there to make sure that the Imagination has its rightful rulers.”

“Can’t… Can’t we just bring the King back? Take the parts from the Princes and make the King again?”

The Morrígna sighed, spreading her wings and letting the air fill them. It felt relaxing on her skin.

“If it was that simple, son… I wouldn’t be here still.”

The prince, the Dragon-Witch’s son, sighed. He turned to his mother and held out a plant that he had procured. It was a strange, poisonous thing, but it was popular in use of creating deadly potions… and wines, mainly for its minty aroma.

“Would this be alright?”

The Morrígna closed her eyes and slunk back into her cave, calling the ravens back. The prince sighed and turned away.

“It was not like I had needed her before.”

* * *

Roman was signing papers so that the dam construction by the mouth of Lake Cateña would not interfere with the natural ecosystem nor the currently still populated villages around there. The river from Lake Cateña was dangerously unpredictable during its flooding season, and this would provide the villages safety, an irrigation system, and the chance to grow as their populations rose.

A knock came to Roman’s door, where one of his most trusted servants - one with the most steady hands - carried in a tray of tea that he had asked for some time ago. Remus would be coming this evening, bringing some of his subjects from the Sea and the Taigas. It was to be a giant ball over what had happened earlier that day.

Roman had also invited his object of affection, ready to take the courtship more seriously.

“My laird, here is the tea you requested.”

“Thank you, Iona.” The Prince took his tea, smiling at the scent of peppermints that infused into the air near him. When he looked up, not yet drinking, he saw Iona standing there at attention. “Is something wrong?”

“That bottle, my laird, your Highness…” Iona pointed towards the eastern wall. Roman furrowed his brow and turned to the east, to his right.

“Ah, that’s a bottle of wine, my dear. The Prince and I must have brought it back from our trip.”

Iona nodded, and they took a step closer. Roman nodded, and they took hold of the bottle. It was warm, as though the wine inside had been heated before being poured into the lovely glass.

“It looks lovely, my laird.”

“It smells much like the tea, Iona.” Roman sipped at his tea, letting the warmth spill down his throat. He smiled at Iona, reaching out. They handed the bottle to him. Roman read the label and asked Iona to place it in his room in the cabinet with the other bottles of wine and mixed drinks that the Princes had made in their spare time.

Iona nodded, asking if there was anything else that the Prince needed.

“No, my dear Iona… Actually, you can leave for today,” Roman said, grabbing one of the parchments that he used for messages between the staff, the guards, and himself. He scribbled a note out for Iona. “Go ahead, take the rest of the evening off. You are invited to the party as a guest.

“Maybe you can come with Dalia,” Roman teased, chuckling as Iona’s cheeks turned red at the thought of coming to the ball with their wife. Taking the note, Iona nodded and excused themselves, their eyes dilated and somewhat dazed. As they walked to the door, a guard opened the door, nodding at the Prince and Iona both.

“Your Highness.”

“Please escort Iona and Dalia tonight. We have the ball tonight, and they have been invited. Please get them to the Búistéir Cottage beforehand for dressing. I’d love to see them there this evening.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, my Laird. Many thanks!” Their pupils still dilated and their eyes filling with iron tears at the idea of going to Búistéir Cottage - a famous location here on castle grounds for those selected by the Prince to arrive at for "proper vestige and attire" - Iona bowed and followed the guard out, their hand twitching at their side as they tried to control their excitement. The guard held fast, should they feel faint.

Roman took in a deep breath, looking down at the papers that he still needed to sign.

Damn.

The party was mostly planned... 

Good thing the desserts had been ordered early enough. Roman could imagine the taste of a fresh roasted pig, sauce dripping on his tongue and clinging to his lips. He felt himself hunger for cake, ribs in sauce, pastas, and exotic dishes that only Thomas himself could have imagined. He wanted to taste the brandy of the Bolero Bird, made with its feathers to add a sudden heat to any heart.

Perhaps… Perhaps his love would be there.

Roman drank the tea, savoring the taste of cranberry.

* * *

“Aw, look at all the gunpowder!”

“It smells so nasty! Let’s catch some of it when it hits the ground.”

Remus smiled as he heard his subjects admire the stranger aspects of Alcenon. Some of the creatures that had been born as selkies, swan-maidens, and other creature-wonders were walking around with their skins draped across their shoulders. Some of the citizens of Alcenon were enamored with the citizens of the Taigas and Gloire, and others were disgusted, and vice-versa.

Remus saw Dari walking in a small crowd of those that existed here in Songeri, the Royal Capital. He waved over there, one of his sídhe exploding in a burst of light and reforming. For all of their effort, Remus and his fire sídhe managed to get Dari’s attention. The apothecary came close, walking alongside the slow-moving carriage.

“Hello, your Highness.”

“Anything new in your wares, Dari? I’m looking for a new explosive.” Remus began to pet his sídhe, smiling as it bit at his fingers and licked the blood that dripped out from the cuts.

“Stay with the classics, your Highness. Mustard seed and TNT.”

Dari gave him a smile, one that was rather sharp. Remus smiled.

“I’ve never seen your teeth, Dari! You look so cute!” Remus reached out and gently caressed the withering man’s chin. “You look lovely, truly.”

“... Those in Alcenon do not often find me pleasing, my Laird.”

“What about here in Songeri?”

Dari smiled, his lips over his teeth. “Some do and some don’t. I imagine that is what I can hope for.”

Remus laughed, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Dari’s lips. He pulled away, laughing as Dari coughed at the make-up left on his lips.

“Dari, my dear, you are an amazing man in mind and body. I hope you have fun at the ball tonight!” Dari nodded and he went back into the crowd.

“I can’t wait to see what meats they have,” Dieon - a wonderful sea-sídhe with shimmering fins made of glass and razors - commented. Their scales were beautiful and entrancing, the skin around them in a dress that made them look more than faerie-like. They were a demon, hunting for prey.

“Please don’t make too much of a mess, Didi,” Remus scolded. “When you painted with that fashion designer’s shit, Roman’s court didn’t let me see him during the day.”

“Why would they do that? Highness should get what he wants.” Dieon blinked bright eyes at Remus, tears coming down like uber-black paint and tar. They’d burn any cat alive should a cat try to lick them away, and cats adored Dieon’s scales.

“Well, the court had to be aired out, to my understanding - Bitchnugget, calm down. You’re going to ruin your appetite.” Remus scolded the young sídhe in his lap. Bitchnugget giggled, turning to eat his own fingers instead. While Remus let his energy divert to rebuilding his now absent hand, he explained, “We have to behave a bit so that we can all get along. Yes, we can engage in war all we want, but sometimes it’s been Gloire and Alcenon vs. Mira and the Taigas. All the combinations, and forget about the provinces in each land! Dieon, you can’t tell me, though, that you hate your cousins in the Sea of Mira.”

“... You are right, Laird.”

“You love your family. I love Roman. I know this sídhe loves to burn anything and everything, the little slut.”

Bitchnugget smiled up at his master.

“Let’s get along. That way, we can all get in trouble together and have more fun.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Dieon leaned against the window frame, looking out to the Castle Nausikaa, the crown jewel of Songeri, the capital of the Imagination itself. “I have to admit, I’d fuck the castle.”

Remus smiled, ignoring the growing heat in his abdomen. Something smelled… delicious.

When they arrived, Dieon and Bitchnugget stepped out of the carriage, waving their spindly limbs out in a display of respect and grandeur. Bitchnugget let fire burst from his fingers, sparks igniting in the air to make a horrifyingly dazzling display. Dieon crushed ice upwards from the ground, ice-stalagmites coming through the red carpet that had been laid out in welcome. The ice hit the sparks, rapidly turning into steam.

Remus walked out into the steam, ready to feel like Spinal Tap or one of those other rock bands.

Remus walked down the carpet, his dress suit sequins and their hot-glue still fresh and burning. They wouldn’t burn through the fabric, though; he liked the people that Roman had on the guest list. Best not to upset them or else they wouldn’t allow him to get their trash anymore.

As he walked out, all the people of Songeri cheered. Some threw Devil Bangers, making the sounds of the crowd more like a riot than an overjoyed welcome. Somebody had to have warned everyone about a sound device, as everyone covered their ears and there was a harsh sound of feedback.

This was fucking dope.

When everything began to calm down, Remus decided to be graceful and gave a wide bow, leg back and one of his arms outstretched to the side while his other hand splayed itself.

Everyone cheered again, and they excused themselves, bowing/curtseying/(was someone throwing themselves on the ground in an imitation of Reagen from  _ The Exorcist _ ?) and heading into the Castle Nausikaa.

“Your Highness?”

Remus turned around and looked over to the carriage that had brought him. One of his staff - a lovely, oozy young man made of tar - came over and handed him a golden rose.

~~ He had thought… Wasn’t he over this? ~~

“Where did you get this, Cillian?”

“It was handed to me by a guard, sir. He excused himself quickly to go to the butcher down the road. He said one of his Masters needed him to fetch an order of meat.”

Remus’ heart skipped a bit faster.

“Did… Did he bring a letter with it?”

“No, sir, but he did say it was from one of his Masters, though he didn’t say who.” Cillian pointed down the road where silver lights had decorated the pavement. “I have not seen everything down that road, sir. It appears to be more recently made than the rest of the town, my Laird, but Creativity is always changing.”

Remus shivered, ignoring the sense of dread that settled into the sac around his heart. (He made sure not to make it fatal. Not everyone liked dead bodies and he’d rather not ruin Roman’s party  ~~ that could wait for the afterparty ~~ .)

He patted Cillian on the head, laughing at the way the flagella in the young one’s skull tickled his fingers.

“Remus!”

Remus turned and saw his brother standing in the doorway of Alcenon’s castle. Not even the loveliness of the Castle Nausikaa could outshine any of Roman’s beauty. Roman waved down to Remus, gracefully coming down the steps. He was...

“Roman… Vous- votre apparence est incroyablement belle...”

“Remus,” Roman said, chuckling, “I’m going to guess you said that I’m drop-dead gorgeous. You know that I don’t speak French.”

“It certainly won’t stop me, mon Dauphin.”

Roman looked absolutely wonderful. Makeup made his eyes stand out, the red irises of the Prince looking like precious false-rubies that dripped out of a freshly slain deer. Kohl made his eyes all the more striking, and the blush on his cheeks made him look more lively than a blazing fire. His lips were coated in a rouge that mimicked that weird dye that caused birth defects.

Roman’s clothes were stunning as well. In black, gold, red, and the scarce use of white, Roman was every fatale character that Remus had ever stroked off to when Thomas was a teenager. Roman was seductive, deadly, and yes, Roman could crush Remus’ head with those thighs.  ~~ He wants to hump the boots, holy shit, just cream himself on that beautiful leather . ~~

His red dress was like that of Jennifer Connelly’s in  _ Dark City _ , form fitting, but Roman had cut it even shorter, made the sequins a bit more subtle, and finished it with a black leather belt at the waist and some frills at the wrists made of pure white Armenian lace. Roman had shaped his form enough that his chest was now bouncing lightly with each step, fabric of the dress revealing no sign of a brassiere and emphasizing his curves. There were some chains of gold hanging about his neck like a snake, and Roman had worn a golden tiara that made him look like an angel, the jewels embedded in it looking like the Eyes themselves.

“Mi querido,” Roman responded, grabbing Remus’ hand and bowing low. He kissed the back of his brother’s hand  ~~ think of my poet think of the poet think of the golden rose ~~ , and Remus smiled. “Welcome back to Castle Nausikaa, my dear.”

“It is good to be welcomed back, mon Dauphin. I will do as you wish.”

“Of course, mi Asturia. Whatever you wish, I will make happen.”

Roman stood up and led his brother inside, their citizens following to enjoy the party.

“Roman, what’s this party for? Holy shit, is that the figment of Alexander Hamilton?”

“It’s just something I wanted to throw, my dear. I’ve missed you…”

Remus shrugged. “I heard that something happened today…”

Roman leaned against the Duke, sighing.

“Well, Deceit - er, Janus, I mean - came by today… I don’t really want to talk about it.”

Remus frowned. Whenever Roman was troubled by something, they would talk about it together and-

“Holy fuck, Batman.”

“What, Rini?”

“Wow, Roman,” Remus said, monotone, “you haven’t called me that since we were… like… babies, but Janus?! That’s Deceit’s name?”

"Yes, that's what he said."

Remus blinked up at the sky. "Huh…"

"What?"

"He never told me his name before!"

Roman tilted his head, hardly minding as a blossom faerie settled into his cleavage and began to create flowers as a natural perfume for the Prince

"Really? You had never known his name?"

"No," Remus insisted, "he was always secretive about stuff like that. I thought he didn't have a name or it had been something like 'Cumblestiltskin'... Didn't really seem that important after I moved back to the Imagination to come live here in Alcenon with you."

"You mean in your tower."

"Just so, babe - ooh, what is that?”

Roman called a servant over and Remus took a red and pink treat in a cup from the tray. The servant bowed, waited for Roman to grab one from the tray and let guests grab treats as they wished.

“Is that meat?” Remus muttered. He dug into his cup of red and sweetened meat. It was like a pie or… Whatever it was, it was so good!

“Roman, what is this called?”

“Oh, it’s a meat confection called ‘Lucky Dove’.” Roman laughed as Remus tried to suppress his chuckles enough to not choke on his food. “It’s actually a dessert, my dear, but go ahead. Indulge yourself in everything that I have gathered for us to enjoy!”

Roman pressed a kiss to his brother’s cheek, squeezing on Remus’ abdomen enough that Remus knew that if he had been full of food already, he would have thrown up. Roman’s breasts pressed into Remus’ side as Roman pressed himself to his brother.

~~ Tits. Fucking tits. They feel so fucking nice. Should he get tits? Never done that before but that would be a neat experiment. Cut them off like that one Indian Deva. Maybe if he’d do the same to his dick. ~~

~~ Maybe he could become a princess and finally be with his Prince… but his Lover… ~~

“Rini? You okay?”

“Is there blood in this… dove? Lucky dove?”

“Some of them do have blood in them. I have vampires in my kingdom, you know, and they can tell the difference. Others are just filled with cranberry jelly,” Roman said, pulling away  ~~ no, please come back  ~~ and smiling. He pressed the spoon sitting inside the cup deeper to scoop out some of the caramelized meat and hummed as he tasted it. “Is it okay? I know you like blood, but should I have separated it? Can I-?”

“Sweetling, you are amazing and this lucky dove is fucking amazing.” Remus moaned. Shit, his abdomen and chest felt warm, the sweet scent of blood lighting his arousal and his own blood beginning to race. His eyes let the light in so much easier now, body ready to move, to dance… to do something!

“Rini,” Roman said, laughing out loud. His mouth was stained red, the jellied mess hardly cleaned by his tongue, “I can smell how excited you are.”

“Crank up the music, Roro.” Remus finished his dove and a servant quickly came forward to take the empty cup away. “Thanks. Roro, I want to lose my mind tonight!”

Roman smiled, pulling his brother close again, and he wished silently for his musicians to begin to play. They hurried to the dance hall, where some people had already begun to make their spots and presences known in the venue. Dieon waved to Remus, who only smiled back.

The brass made their first notes as Roman accepted his part as bullfighter and Remus, the bull. The guitar and the castanets let Roman know that, yes, it was his turn to move as Remus stood, ready to attack. Roman swayed his body backwards, the heels of his boots hardly making contact with the floor.

When Roman rolled up again, his breasts moving up on inhalation, Remus rushed forward, capturing his brother and grabbing Roman about the waist. They began to spin, Roman more so, and they ended in a leaning pose that had Roman holding onto Remus with one arm above his head, the other grabbing onto Remus.

“You smell of cranberries, Roro,” Remus mused, focusing on mirroring his brother’s movements; one hand was up, and another grabbing Roman’s  darling little waist that seemed to be held by some kind of girdle.

“I bet you taste like blood, Rini.” Roman smiled as Remus pulled them close together, shivering. They were leaning the other way now.

“You okay?” Remus turned out, Roman copying him, and they stalked forward - beast and hunter prowling for a meal. They ended up spinning, and Roman used Remus as a base to start spinning from before settling into a lunge. Remus walked away before turning back. Roman lifted his dress somewhat and seemed to glide forward, knees higher before they met past the distance of several feet.

“I don’t have a bra and my nipples are kind of hard.” Roman kept eye contact as he stroked one hand down Remus’ chest.

“Do I excite you, sweetling?”

Roman only smiled, as they went to move faster. They were holding each other, hand on waist, one on waist, and they were spilling outward. Everything was gone, save for the music and them. One moment, they were walking, another spinning, and the next Remus was leaning his brother down, Roman allowing himself to be bent back just enough that the rush upward was enough inertia to go into the next motion.

Roman would step, Remus would follow. Remus would gesture and still himself, Roman would bend and raise his leg. Remus would reach for Roman when Roman turned his back, and they would continue this battle, their eyes each other. Their bodies were talking, a fight for dominance as they jumped and spun, their faces close and their breaths intermingling for just a moment before the coolness of their sweat begged them to keep moving.

They were parading themselves, because they were love and Love and of love. What else would they do?

The instruments were finishing, the timbre of the song just a bit more pitched in its delivery and how long had it been? Somehow Remus was kneeling, Roman was crouching low.

Roman’s eyes were so beautiful.

With a tug and an allowance, Roman spun low and he landed backwards on his back... 

Safely in Remus' arms.

There was applause, but nothing could superimpose itself over the heartbeat of a tympani in Remus’ ears. Roman was smiling, sweat dripping from his forehead. He looked up at Remus with an almost sleepy gaze. Some of the sweat was beginning to bead on his chest, and a rare few even dripped down to the cleavage that Roman’s breasts had created, another enticing view for Remus.

~~ He was not over this. ~~

“Another dance, Dauphin?”

Roman smiled.

“Of course, Asturia.”

* * *

How long had they danced? Minutes? Hours? Days? Remus only pulled away from his brother when his stomach longed again to have food stuffed into it. Roman bid him to enjoy himself, running off to see to his other guests.

“Didi, what are you drinking?” Dieon gave the Duke a fresh glass of… whatever it was, and Remus took a long swallow of it, savoring the scalding nature of it.

“Brandy, delicious.”

“Not just any brandy, your Highness,” another one of the Gloire fae chimed, eating the glass itself. “It is from the Bolero Bird!”

The glass-eating fae smiled, navy-blue blood spilling from the tiniest gaps in her smile. Her gray skin was beginning to flush blue in the torso and her face.

“Ooh!” Remus smiled. He finished the brandy off quickly and called a server for more. “Mon Dauphin wants to get everyone riled up and look like the only sane man in Nausikaa today.”

“Excuse me, my Laird.” Remus turned and saw one of the common fae from the Sea, their lavender eyes glowing with curiosity. They had a small dish with vegetation on it, and strangely the ceramic matched their clothing - oh, the Duke got it now.

Remus brought his eyes up from the torsling fae’s fascinating nudity and genitalia (or lack thereof? He really wasn’t sure.) to focus on their eyes.

“Yes, torsling?”

The torsling nodded, blushing at the fact that the Duke was respecting him so.

“What does that title for the Prince mean?”

“Dauphin?”

“Yes, if I may be so bold as to ask you to define it.”

“Ah, no problem, pretty twisted thing!” The torsling fae pouted their lips ever so slightly, delighted and attentive as Remus spoke. “Dauphin is French - that is, the language spoken in the country of France in Ard-Rí Thomas’s world. It has two meanings, one being ‘the First-born Heir to the Throne’ and the other being ‘dolphin’. However, my brother doesn’t swim that gracefully.”

The torsling fae pouted and pulled their bottom lip into their mouth for a quick moment before bending their knees in thanks.

“Thank you, your Highness. It’s useful information!”

“Again, no problem, you scrawled beauty.” Remus bent his own knees, and the torsling stared. They looked over their shoulder for a moment, and then, turning back to Remus, Dieon, and the glass fae, they gave a smile through their baleen teeth and scuttled away.

The rest of the night was phenomenal. Remus danced with Roman again, though the Prince had done away with the biological unfamiliar changes that he had made to become his more muscular self once again.

Many lucky doves were eaten.

Then the party waned, and Remus took control of the after-party, keeping most of his clothes on because he looked damn fine in them. Roman was tempted into going on stage with Remus, with Remus being hot from the brandy not helping the situation.

Then, they were in Roman’s room again.

The party was over, and the world could sleep.

Both brothers laid on Roman’s bed, listening to the wind try to lull them to sleep.

“Tell me something, Remus.” Roman’s breath smelt of hard liquor. He shifted his position on the bed enough for Roman to lie on his chest.

“Anything. What do you want me to say, Roman?”

Roman pushed himself up, resting his ear on Remus’ chest over where Thomas’ heart would be. For Roman, it was usually a bluebird in its rib-cage  okay, that was a hilarious visual cue . For Remus, there was often a heart that skipped in double-time, turning into a shrill shriek of a banshee that cried out like a dying seal; it often took to exploding. What were their hearts today?

“You have a buzzing beehive in your chest, Rini."

“Stinger or honey, pick one. What do you want me to say, Roman?”

“We have always been together- Shh!” Roman pressed a finger to Remus’ lips, as the younger (older?)  brother had been eager to interrupt him. “We’ve always been together, but we can have our own lives in Imagination! We’ve no need to always be as we are!”

“... You fucking lost me.”

“What I mean is…” Roman took in a deep breath, exhaling as slowly as he could. “... I don’t just want to be a Prince any-more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and that's when the rumors began.
> 
> \--
> 
> Paso Doble routine (Advanced 3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-XLFs0Ikkw  
> Riccardo & Yulia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-DM2v-TuA
> 
> Dauphin - French for "Heir to the Throne of France"  
> Asturia - Spanish title "Prince/ss of Asturia" was granted to the heir to the throne of Spain
> 
> Rini - Japanese nickname for "Little rabbit" (used in the original American Dub of Sailor Moon)


	7. You Only Want Me 'Cause You Want My Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this is when it all... went... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter does contain heavy NSFW material, including r*pe/sexual assault/non-consensual sex*, sex under false pretenses, alcohol consumption, panic attacks, great emotional duress, suicidal ideation, self-injurious behavior, and descriptions of blood.
> 
> *No-one in the situation can consent due to panic attacks, great emotional duress, false pretenses, and alcohol/deliberate poisoning. They do continue to have sex under these conditions once they both “agree” to it and the false pretenses are uncovered. Tread lightly.

_Years ago_

Both had always been Princes, but when Roman was taken away, Patton and Janus had insisted that he would be Creativity, that he would be the Prince of the Kingdom that the King had left behind.

Roman hadn’t thought that, though, and he made sure to tell Remus when they finally saw each other again.

“We are both Princes, you know.”

“Really, Dauphin?”

“What does that mean?”

“You are heir to the King, doofus.”

“But we’re the same. Except for our eyes and hair, we are the same in every way, Ree.”

Remus had groaned. His thoughts were not kind today, not even the least bit fun. He didn’t want to ruin their first day together, not when Daddy and Papa had finally let them see each other again.

Remus wanted to go to the Village and back to the hut that the King had seized them from.

“Rini?”

“Who? Me?”

“You’re my Rini,” Roman had cooed, holding his brother tightly. Remus immediately returned the hug.

“We’re not the same, though.”

“We are,” Roman insisted, “and we’re both Princes of the forest, remember?”

Remus nodded. The King had told them that when they had gone hunting for the White Stag in Traum, that they were Princes of Traum. Remus sighed and pushed tighter into Roman’s embrace.

“Princes of Traum.”

It was a good day for their first playdate.

* * *

_During the party earlier that evening..._

Remus had been enjoying another Lucky Dove when he got a quiet moment to himself. He opened the black envelope that his servant had given him, and he read through the poem that his admirer had sent him.

Oh, his lover was quite a writer, and it showed well in this one. The ink was in human blood - could never mistake that scent - but there were even sparkles of something iridescent there, gold flecks that caught the eye under the light of the electric chandeliers.

Something felt off, though.

~~Traum.~~

~~.Dream~~

* * *

_Picking up where we had left off..._

“What I mean is…” Roman took in a deep breath, exhaling as slowly as he could. “... I don’t just want to be a Prince any-more.”

~~SYSTEM SHUTDOWN CODE RED CODE BLUE CODE GREEN THREAT LEVEL FUCKING SEVERE~~

“D-Do…” Remus heard a whimper escape his throat. “What?”

“I want more than this - just…” Roman pressed his head a bit harder on Remus’ chest, settling into the listening of Remus’ skipping heartbeat. “I want to be someone’s Prince.”

“Thomas.”

“Of course, I’m his, but…” Roman groaned gently, hiding his face in the soft fabric of Remus’ shirt. “I want someone else, too.”

~~WHAT THE ACTUAL~~

“How do you mean?”

“I’ve fallen in absolute love, my dear,” Roman whispered. The burning sensation that began spread through the fabric of Remus’ shirt and the shaking of Roman’s shoulders was obviously a sign of the Prince crying, but the Duke wondered if he had just been stabbed.

Blood would have felt the same. Why shouldn’t he bleed, if only for seeing his brother ~~love of his life and Thomas~~ weep?

“Have you now?”

Roman crawled up to Remus’ face, their eyes and gazes meeting, but Remus felt nothing of the connection that they had once shared. They were not King nor were they Creativity.

They were Chaos and Cosmos.

Remus couldn’t even begin to guess who was who.

“My butterfly, you inspire me to weep.  
“How I love the way you dance, fly and feed,  
“Invading my mind day and through my sleep,  
“Your radiance cloaked in silkworm seed.

“Let me compare you to inconstant Moon  
“You are more splendid and more glorious.  
“Warm sun heats the hungry peaches of June,  
“With summertime and blinding aureus.

“How do I love you? Let me count the ways.  
“I love your form, I’m animal - spineless.  
“Thinking of your mind deadly fills my days.  
“My love for you is the sacred, wineless.

“Now I must away with a blended heart,  
“Remember my bright words whilst we're apart.”

Roman smiled. “This is how I confess my love, and yet my love does not respond to me. I have mentioned him by name before, but he does not respond in kind.”

Roman just let himself go limp on Remus’ shoulder, his tear finally cascading down his cheeks.

“Todavía cuando te estoy viendo, mi amor... no me cabe en la imaginación.”

_"Even when I am looking at you, my love... you can't fit in my imagination."_

Another thing that separated them: Roman could speak Spanish while Remus spoke French. The languages were similar but very different, too different to be perfect cognates.

“Roman, je parle pas l'espagnol,” Remus sighed; Roman sometimes forgot that Remus didn't understand him all the time.

“Te quiero, Remus, mi gemelo, mi pieza que me falta.” Remus closed his eyes as Roman kissed his forehead sweetly. “Por favor…”

_"I love you, Remus, my twin, my missing piece. Please..."_

“Quoi?”

Remus couldn't stop the sound of his heart from changing to the beehive into the sound of a squealing locomotive that was about to crash into several cars that had been stuck on the railroad.

“Remus…” Roman groaned softly. “I’m in love, and words cannot express it. It’s been forbidden since the beginning, and for this time, I want- I-”

The brothers pulled apart enough, Roman's eyes dilated and his chest heaving slightly.

Remus shivered when Roman pulled away, the Prince standing and walking towards the cabinet where they kept an elaborate collection of poisons and alcohol, ready to taste. There was the wine and poison combination that Roman reached for, one that both of them had concocted as a way to remember the King before them.

Delicious, sweet, gracing their tongues with enough levity to betray the poison of the cranberries that had been key to the flavor and deadliness of it; Roman let it spill from the bottle onto his tongue, his lips hardly letting any space for the wine to escape, but it did, fat droplets rolling down his chin and the length of his neck.

“Roman!” Remus hurried for him, not ready to watch the effects of the poison, but soon the bottle, which had been emptied, was pulled away from him again. Roman tussled with him, managing to sit right on Remus’ lower belly. In any other case, Remus would marvel at the feeling of his brother sitting, the curve of Roman’s ass just enough on Remus’ groin to elicit the smallest of base response, but he couldn’t do this, not to his dear brother.

“Love - Care - my true captor - you will be my murderer!” Roman moaned, shifting his weight. His head was lolling forward, a sign that the poison was settling in well into his system. Remus sat up enough to keep Roman from falling, his arms wrapping around his Prince’s torso.

“Roman, please! Roman, vous devez arrêter cela-!”

_"Roman, you need to stop this-!"_

If Remus had died, he would gladly die again.

Roman’s lips tasted of wine, cranberries, and the Prince smelt so much of peppermints. The scent was almost nauseating, and Remus only moaned for his troubles. He couldn’t hide, as much as he wanted to, and Roman licked his way into Remus’ mouth, tasting and desecrating all that his tongue could reach.

“Wait, Roman!”

“Por favor mi amor…” Roman whimpered, bringing the bottle to his lips again and drinking the refilled bottle. “¿No quieres hacer el amor conmigo? ¿No quieres follarme y hacerme tuyo para siempre?”

_"Please my love... Don't you want to make love to me? Don't you want to fuck me and make me yours forever?"_

“Roman, I can’t understand-”

“Please, love, darling, lovely, angel,” Roman’s litany rang, the Prince’s leggings and the Duke’s trousers disappearing. The faint spark in Roman’s magic made Remus shudder, the light pain displeasing; it did not, however, overshadow the fact that now Roman’s ass was rolling against Remus.

“R-Roman…” Remus shuddered as the feel of his brother’s skin, ~~too soft so soft how would it feel to bite into it,~~ on his set Remus on fire. His body went to respond in kind, Roman rolling against Remus.

God, Remus had never expected to see his brother like this… Roman had never been _aroused_ before.

His eyes were burning red, the color of Hellfire itself. Roman stared down at Remus with all the rageful hunger of a tigress, intent clear and wild. Remus whimpered when Roman moaned, the sound of a hurdy-gurdy and the shrill nature of an oboe there as Roman continued calling out for his love, tears on his face.

“You don’t want me, my love! Why? ¿Por qué no me haces tuyo?” Roman sobbed, his cock spilling pre-spend between them as Roman called out for a love that Remus did not know nor could identify to bring the bastard to Roman’s feet like the dog that his Prince’s object surely is!

“Ro, please! I’m Remus, not your love!” Remus whimpered, feeling something slick over his cock. He could stand his own heart breaking but not that of his brother. “Aren’t you saving yourself for him, Roman?! Like you always have?!”

“But… I want! I desire! I love! Ah, jodeme, Remus… Fuck me.”

“No!” Remus cried, his tears finally spilling as Roman tried and failed to kiss the Duke again. At that moment, his resistance, his urge for his brother to stop, turned into an aghast moan, the heat of Hell itself powering it as Roman took his cock in so well. Roman crooned the roar of a lion, shaking Remus to his core. The slickness that increased with each slight movement downward indicated something tearing, but that did not stop the Prince.

Remus’ tentacles came out defensively, but Roman’s own appeared. In that moment, Remus remembered how strong his brother was. Roman had fewer tentacles, but Remus was lost when he felt the venom of Roman’s spines pierce the top-most membrane of the Duke’s tentacles.

“Roman… Roman… Stop!”

_"Darling."_

“Querido.” Roman pushed on Remus’ shoulders, his weakened brother almost completely limp under his touch. Tentacles lying weak, only the suckers on them held them to Roman’s body. Rather now, Roman had control of the whole situation, using his own tentacles to hold himself in a way that he could lift himself and let himself drop down on Remus again.

Remus sobbed, unable to cover his face in shame and delight as his hips rolled with Roman’s movements. The blood in the air - Roman’s blood! - made his body lurch upwards in pure lust.

“Mi Mariposa…” Roman mindlessly moved, hands touching and searching for every part of Remus’ body that would make the Duke melt. “Beautiful, deadly - Ah! There!”

“Roman,” Remus called out, weakly reaching for his brother’s hips. He started to take control of Roman’s movements, fucking into the ~~beautiful body that had enraptured~~ ~~him for years~~. “Mon lion, mon prince, mon roi!”

_"My lion, my prince, my king!"_

“Rini! Mas duro! Mas! Te quiero tanto!”

_"My little rabbit! Harder! More! I care for you so much!"_

They were drowning in each other, calling out for the other. Fear was overtaking them, ~~but their natures had corrupted them. Both loved adventure, the feeling of dread in their bellies before triumph~~.

As it approached, their combined triumph in the loss of mind in poison, Roman and Remus were sobbing, blood and semen dripping down from where Remus was plunged. Roman mouthed at the skin of Remus’ forehead, still moaning as he continued to roll his hips.

“Ro- Ro…” Remus whimpered, his body sensitive and aching. He was still inside of Roman, wanting this to end. The scent of blood had him hard - had Roman hard as well - but Remus wanted this to just stop.

“Baby, mi amor verdadero, mi luz, mi sangre… Mi Mariposa,” Roman panted out, holding onto Remus’ hands and keeping him there. “Ah, fuck me, there!”

_"My true love, my light, my blood... My butterfly."_

Remus could feel Roman tighten around him, making Remus hiss. It was still burning inside, still so deliciously painful, but the Duke didn’t want to enjoy this anymore.

He wanted to throw up ~~and he wouldn’t enjoy it~~.

“Please… Arrête… Roro…” Remus continued to cry, his moans mixing with wails. He couldn’t remember crying this hard since… He had been so small, and they had taken Roman away from him. Now, his brother was ruining everything they had just to imagine someone else and giving Remus everything that he had ever wanted. “S'il vous plaît, Dauphin-”

_"Please, your Highness."_

“Plé?” Roman was almost confused. He looked to Remus, and Remus could see and hear his brother’s mind at work.

"Si - No se que dice - por que esta llorando? - Se siente bien? - No… no se siente bien. Si… vos… placer."

_"If - I don't know what he's saying - why is he crying? - is he feeling good? - no... he doesn't feel good. If... you... please."_

Remus whimpered. He understood that bit of Spanish, that Roman could tell that something was wrong. When Roman pulled off of him, Remus gasped for air, relief letting his body and tentacles relax. ~~He'd forever deny the fact that his brother his Roman had felt so wonderful around him, so hot and tight.~~

_"Don't pull away, my life..."_

“No te alejes, mi vida…” The words were soft, like cotton. Roman shakily stood, his tentacles helping him stand as he turned away from Remus. Remus turned his head to follow Roman with his eyes. The side of his face on the floor was wet. Remus could see the small streams, almost dismissible save for their brightness, of blood and semen drip down his brother's legs. His tentacles were helping him stand upright.

“Dauphin, maintenant, mon Dauphin… Vous devez aller à… le médecin. De… dépêche… vous." Remus shuddered, watching his brother's quivering body. Roman still look dazed, under the influence of poison.

_"Your Highness, now, my Prince... You need to go to... the physician. Hu... You need to hurry."_

It shouldn't have lasted this long. Roman should have been able to heal by now. He needed the physicians. Now.

"Roro?"

"Mariposa?" Roman turned to Remus. He bent down and kissed Remus’ forehead. His eyes looked like dull glass. “Mi amor… ¿por que lloras? ¿Estás lastimado?”

_"My love... Why are you crying? Are you hurt?_

“Roman… C’est moi… It’s me.” Remus sat up in spite of his dizziness, reaching to pull Roman into a hug. He coiled his tentacles around Roman’s own, carefully of each poisonous spine sticking out of every beautiful bone in the Prince’s spine. “C’est moi, mon chou.”

_"It's me, my dear."_

Roman hummed, hugging Remus back. The scent of cranberries was rolling off of him, as was the smell of saliva. Roman was drooling a bit.

“Ro, are you okay?” Remus could finally think again.

“Me siento…” Roman pulled away, staring right into Remus’ eyes. “Oh… Remus… Is that you?”

“C’est moi, c’est moi…”

_"It's me, it's me..."_

Roman smiled, kissing his brother sweetly, so different from the creature that had slammed himself down on Remus’ cock with such abandon. He continued to pepper kisses all over Remus’ cheeks and even to press some kisses on Remus’ mustache.

“Estoy seguro que esto es un sueño, mi amor… No puede ser algo más.”

_"I'm sure that this is a dream, my love... It can't be anything else but."_

“Dream? Roman… What’s your dream, baby?”

Roman rubbed his nose against Remus’ nose, sighing.

“You’re not here, right? You’re a figment that I made up?”

“Roman, tell me.” Remus reached up and hugged his brother close. Their hearts were beating in tandem, bells of a broken church ringing for a requiem, low and loud. “Baby, tell me.”

“You’re not Remus, right?”

~~...~~

For the first time in his own existence, Remus found himself speechless, his mind just as empty.

“Patton said… I can’t ever be with him that way,” Roman whimpered. “I can’t love Remus, I can’t… I can’t be with my Rini.”

“...”

“My Rini is bad, daddy said, and I can’t want to be with him forever,” Roman continued, pressing more kisses to Remus’ mouth. Remus was just left gaping. When Remus didn’t respond, Roman whispered, “I can’t ever say that I want to be my brother’s Prince, that I want to be his.”

~~…~~

“Can... “ Roman combed his fingers through Remus’ hair. Roman was still drooling, dazed from the poison that was going to be working out of his system the rest of the night. “Can you touch me? Touch me like I want my Rini to? Or me touch you?”

Remus didn’t move at all.

Roman continued to kiss and mouth at any part of Remus’ skin that was exposed. He took a great deal of interest in Remus’ collarbone and the dip that his clavicles created, just at the base of his neck. There was certainly enough saliva there to make each kiss slip from its target. Roman’s hand still was touching Remus’ hair, fingers making little swirls with the strands.

Roman’s free hand reached for Remus again, stroking and touching. Remus could feel himself react, his body not obeying his mind that just wanted to…

Wanted to…

~~Wanted to.~~

“I hurt you, didn’t I, mister figment?” Roman hummed, still pressing kisses to Remus’ skin. He seemed to make sure that every inch of Remus’ neck was covered in these strange, tender kisses.

~~When Remus was little, and Roman was little, Remus broke his leg when they had been hiking and they had fallen down a hill. Remus could see his bone shooting out- No, not his, Roman’s bone was sticking out of his lower leg. Remus had a nasty gash on his forehead that had broken the skull somewhere and was starting to dye his vision red.~~

~~Roman had begun crying, kissing the gash on his brother’s face. That was when Roman first learnt how to heal people with his powers, not even using them on himself yet.~~

~~It had been Remus first.~~

“Let me make it up to you, you pretty beast.” Roman pulled at Remus’ clothing, undressing the Duke with clumsy hands. 

Remus found that he could only obey. Roman pulled him one way, and Remus followed; Roman pushed, and Remus allowed it.

“So pretty… Too pretty to be from my dreams.” Roman bent down, suckling on Remus’ chest. His tongue circled a nipple without any skill or planning, teasing it to stand hard with gentle nips and sucklings. Remus reached up to press Roman’s head closer, shivering when teeth scraped his skin. As Roman continued, one hand wandering down to gently explore, Remus let out a moan at the strange touches.

The Prince lifted his head, stilling his hands to Remus’ now rising annoyance.

“Did that feel good?”

Remus sighed, nodding.

“You want to do this to Remus?” Remus felt just a bit like barely awkward referring to himself in third-person, but Roman seemed to be waking up, to be getting a bit more sober somehow.

“Forever. I wanna do it forever for him.” Roman’s eyes were bright, a bit less glassy as his natural healing likely began to kick in.

“Then, why bring him people to fuck? You watched your brother be with other people.”

“My Rini, mi Mariposa, gets what he wants,” Roman explained, eyes. “He doesn’t want me, but I can bring him people… that can make him happy. I just want to… see him make that face. Even if… He’ll never want me.”

~~… What?~~

“I can watch him be loved. I can give what he needs or wants.”

~~Stop.~~

There was a flow of Creativity through both of them, the sign that Roman was healed and the isophorone was finally out of his system. Red eyes were completely clear, and Roman pulled away. Tears dripped down his handsome face, but his mouth moved.

“... Ree?” Roman’s eyes were filled with horror, a screeching rattle starting in his throat. He pulled away and brought a hand to his mouth. The scent of bile was apparent, even though Remus heard Roman swallow it back down.

“Roro.”

“No.” Roman moved to back away, the scent of tears further saturating the room. “Remus, I- I’m sorry-”

Remus shot up, hardly heeding Roman cry out as the Prince fell to the floor. The Duke crawled to be over the Prince. Pressing their mouths together felt too dream-like, Remus agreeing that, yes, this had to be a dream. His Roman was hard, undeniably hard ~~for Remus!~~ and utterly beautiful to behold. Pearliness beaded up on the head of his cock, and Remus immediately knew that he needed to savor it.

“Remus!” Roman pulled away from the kiss, panting for air. His eyes were manic, the alcohol leaving his system affecting him horribly. He looked crazed, his tentacles curling and spinning about themselves without any grace that Roman usually had with them. “I’m sorry! I sh-shouldn’t have-!”

“Shut up, Roman.” Remus caught his brother’s neck between his teeth, his own cock straining for release as Roman let out a sultry moan that Remus had never heard before.

“B-But,” Roman groaned, his hands reaching to Remus’ shoulder blades. His nails were carving little crescents into the pale skin, drawing blood. “I’m not- Patton- This is-”

“Fuck Patton.” Remus sucked, bit, did whatever he could to mark his Prince. Dear God in Heaven, his Prince! His Prince that saved him from his tower and that had desired him so!

“How could I think that I need more than you? You even bounced yourself on my cock - You had saved your first time for me!”

Roman whimpered, his hands moving to stroke Remus’ arms in effort to feel Remus and likely calm himself. As the Duke moved down, making purchase on Roman’s waist, Roman moved to keep his hands on his lover’s hands, needing the contact.

“Of course. You’re my Rini. My-” Roman closed his eyes, whimpering. “I want to be with you more than anything!”

“Why, Roman!” Remus giggled and pressed his mouth on the dip of the navel on Roman’s stomach. He pushed his tongue in to taste the small space, mapping it all with his tongue. His breath was hot against Roman’s skin. “You can’t just say that.”

“No?” Roman’s eyes were wide. Oh, the poor dear looked as though he was prepared for punishment. Probably was, knowing how Patton had raised the Dauphin.

“No, mon Dauphin. It just makes me want to devour you,” Remus whispered to Roman’s cock. Roman moaned, pre-spend squirting out a bit onto the Duke’s chin. Remus brought it to his mouth, suckling on the head of it. He had wanted to savor it, but he continued to suck and suck, eventually letting it hit the back of his throat. He sucked hard as he pulled away, smiling as Roman groaned loudly, begging for Remus to be merciful.

“Look at that. You’re so responsive, my fragile little Dewdrop.” Remus kissed at Roman’s hips, sucking marks into his brother’s skin. Roman gasped, begging and begging. “I bet you’ll come if I just do…”

Roman screamed. Remus brought his Prince’s cock into his mouth, swallowing and deep-throating it completely. He swallowed around it a few more times before he heard Roman try and give a warning.

Something spilled hot down his throat. When Remus pulled back just enough, he could taste something that was just Roman. Ah, this was the only thing that really separated them was it, how they tasted?

Remus had tasted himself before, tasted how he was of the sea and something else so mercurial that he could never truly put a name to it. Now, Roman…

“You taste like camellias and mint. Damn, and the ocean…” Remus licked a stray drop from his lip. He kissed at Roman’s cock again, cleaning his Dauphin well.

“Come up, Rini.” Roman put his hand in Remus’ hair; it was a gentle order, no pulling at all, but Remus obeyed, letting Roman taste himself. Roman let out a wanton moan that had Remus almost cumming again.

“You taste so fucking good.”

“Mmm… Taste like meat… spearmint.” Roman leaned forward to suck on Remus’ lower lip, gnawing on it gently. “You taste like blood.”

Remus responded by going forward and digging sharp fangs into Roman’s lower lip, relishing the metallic scent that filled his nose and made Roman’s natural scent much stronger. His cock was hard, slippery as he began to rut their bodies together. Roman was crying out underneath him, begging to be fucked by his Mariposa.

“Can’t say my name?”

“Hng… Can’t say… Ah, they’ll know if I say it’s you!”

“Who?” Remus moved, perching himself prettily on Roman’s hips. Roman’s cock was sliding on his perineum, the skin there sensitive enough to make Remus have to put even more effort into not cumming yet.

“Daddy… and Shield.”

Remus harshly grabbed at Roman’s chin, biting bloody at Roman’s lips and doing the same to his love’s tender neck. Fear washed over Remus, and Roman.

Yes, Patton and Janus could separate them again. First, it had been their judgement on the King, King of Creativity and all that Thomas had adored and feared as a child. Then, when the Twins emerged from fire and blood, Patton and Janus had judged again, separating them because… at least they could have a scapegoat this time.

One that could be removed.

One that could be cut away to save the other.

A Vanishing Twin.

Roman cried out when Remus slammed downwards, Roman’s cock making everything bloody as no preparation was made on Remus’ part. No, Roman took his brother savagely, and Remus only bent down to kiss his brother sweetly, a facsimile that what they had was pure.

“Ree,” Roman gasped, moaning loud curses as Remus began to painfully and enticingly roll his hips against those of the Prince. “You feel - Your ass is so tight!”

“No one-” Remus raised himself up on his knees and dropped himself, the impact driving Roman straight into the gland that always had Remus screaming when he was feeling an overload of pleasure. No, it was better than any drug that Thomas had ever studied or heard of-!

“No-one’s taking you from me, Roman.” Remus moved faster, Roman’s nails digging into his brother’s hips. They would both have horrible bruises later, and it would be their secret.

“No-one?” Roman moved his tentacles around Remus’ waist, latching on tightly and starting to slam Remus down as well. Remus was crying out, his bloody mouth in a wide, open-mouthed smile with saliva running out of the corner. It made the Duke’s lips glisten.

“Ah! No-one!” Remus struggled to breath, Roman’s tentacles interfering with his diaphragm’s movement. Remus moved his own tentacles down, stroking over Roman’s body in reckless abandon. Not even the stings of Roman’s poisonous spines bothered him, even as his body once again went limp. Roman just took measures into his own grasp.

Remus whined as Roman sat up, the angle changing enough to continuously press Roman’s cock against his prostate. Roman kissed his brother harshly, cruelly, hardly anything a Prince should be associated with, but… then again… that was only what royalty wanted people to believe.

Strong tentacles lifted Remus up before bringing him down fast and rough. Roman was saying filthy things, things that would make other lovers go to shame, make the Marquis de Sade grow pale with everything that Roman now confessed to ever feel for his brother.

“I can’t believe it… You are on my cock, and you look so happy to have it. You are crying and your cock’s leaking… Should I have done this without asking you? Should I have been like the Prince from the original Sleeping Beauty? Fucking you while you slept in your tower? Maybe I should have you follow me now. Thomas loves you, and I’d love to see your mouth on his cock. I can show you how it looks when I fuck his perfect body.”

Remus cried out at the thought, his orgasm sadly not fulfilled as Roman’s hand quickly flew down and almost crushed the base of Remus’ rock hard cock.

“God, you are all bloody and slick with cum, Rini. So pretty, my pretty thing.” Roman bit at Remus’ neck, drawing blood and moaning as he drank. Remus had to commend Roman, all of the vampire imagery from Thomas’ youth had been turned into something beautiful in Roman’s working hands, violence and fashion gothica under the guise of Victorian delight. “Mmm… Not yet, Ree, not yet.”

“Please!” Remus felt himself grow dizzy, his off-beat clockwork heart skipping more and more beats as the body’s insistence for a climax rose. “Fuck! My prince, let me cum!”

Roman continued to drink before turning his head and letting his cheek be coated in blood. His cock felt so big inside of Remus, even if they were practically identical. Each movement dragged inside of Remus, surely ruining him from the inside out.

“No, Ree. I wanna remember this forever.”

“Ro… Roro! Let me cum… Please, I’m going to fucking die like this.”

“What… What a way to go, huh?”

Remus let out a laugh, humming at the idea of dying from his love’s cock ramming its way into him. He grabbed Roman’s hair, close to the back of his head, and wrenched his brother to look up at him. Roman’s crimson eyes followed Remus’ every expression, making very small calculated movements that only a predator could perform. Remus felt hunted, but his body was prey and device to be used.

Remus shivered as he tried to undulate his hips, ever so much. Roman seemed to feel the motion, slowing down just enough that Remus began to press his still rather limp but still moving tentacles over Roman’s body. Roman moaned at the sensations, and soon both brothers were moaning out for one another, though still aware that they could be torn apart should anyone discover them.

“God… Ro…”

“Just ‘Roro’ is fine.’

“... Smooth as fuck.”

“As smooth as me moving inside of you, Rini?” Roman let out a whimper, squeezing his eyes. “I… Ree.”

“Inside, Ro… Cum inside me!”

The moment that Roman moaned out a wordless cry, Remus felt scalding heat flood him, tipping him over the edge as well. Remus screamed, his tentacles still weak and curling over Roman’s skin. Roman pushed down Remus’ head, forcing a kiss with his brother, and how his brother responded only made the orgasm seem to last a lifetime.

Remus felt his face grow wet, thinking of how his brother held him. Roman was still inside of him, his tentacles tight around Remus and not letting up on their pressure, though just enough to let him breathe more easily.

“Ro…”

“Mi Mariposa, my love,” Roman whispered into Remus’ hair, pressing a kiss to the roots of the white streak of hair that had emerged after the ravens had led them to the Capital City of Songeri, when Patton and Janus had separated them, Logan just watching and Virgil staring in horror and running towards Janus, towards the twin that was sobbing much in a harsher way than the twin that that been knocked into near unconsciousness.

“Mmm…” Remus sniffed at Roman’s collarbone, smiling when Roman imagined them back in Roman’s bed. It was interesting that they had had their first - of many, Remus hoped! - sexual escapade on the floor itself, violent and bloody and passionate and sweet. Remus smelled Roman’s blankets, smelling the wonderful scent of peonies and magnolias…

Remus sat up, Roman staring up at him.

“... You.”

Roman sighed. He stared up at Remus, their eyes making a connection that would only create more tension when broken. Seconds were an eternity, eons spread between them over the course of moments. Remus could feel goosebumps raise on his arms, and he was trying to understand… If he was writing to…

“Remus…”

Remus closed his eyes, not looking when Roman took his hand. No, that feeling of his brother’s hand in his only made him shiver and shudder, something like a sob rattling through him.

“I… I couldn’t even tell.”

“Then Patton nor Janus can figure it out.”

“You’re right about that… Prove it.”

The raven spreads his wings over me  
I am cradled in love, blackened down  
We embrace, climax, and I settle in  
My wings black, as the old raven jumps into the sea

"I wrote more, one for tonight. It-it was too obvious. I-”

“Tell me, Roman… I want to hear you say it, in the way that Patton and Janus can’t ever deny, that they couldn’t stop you from doing.”

Roman nodded slowly, beckoning Remus down again. Roman bade for a kiss, pressing one to Remus’ nose. When he spoke, Roman whispered, his voice as soft as the wind outside on this still night.

The Prince did travel far and wide  
Looking for one to be by his side  
But twas not on horse he did ride  
Nor was it by carriage - no, he did ride  
On the wind-whisper of a Psalm  
For the person to company him, called  
Louder than any waterfall  
For the one was ever enthralled  
With the Great Prince of Traum

Remus closed his eyes, pressing his nose to Roman’s cheek. He remembered now... Only Roman ever truly called him a Prince, a Prince of Traum.

"I'm so fucking stupid."

"No, mi Asturia. I didn't know how much that I could hurt you like this."

"I'm fine," Remus insisted, staring Roman down. "Well, maybe I'm not. Maybe you're not, but we're together now. Together, right?"

"If you'll have me. After what I've done-"

"I'll punish you, my sweetling, but right now-" Remus sucked a mark on Roman's neck, high and sharp. He drew blood like a lamprey, but Roman did nothing to stop Remus.

"Let us sleep torturous slumber together, mon Dauphin. Let's dream of waves and broken glass in tomorrow's breakfast pudding."

"I like that."

"The broken glass?"

Roman smiled and shook his head, saying smoothly, "That we'll have breakfast together."

Remus smiled and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poison in the wine and in the tea from the previous chapter is isophorone:
> 
> It is a colorless liquid with a characteristic peppermint-like odor, although commercial samples can appear yellowish. Used as a solvent and as a precursor to polymers, it is produced on a large scale industrially 
> 
> Symptoms at high levels include: irritation of the nose and throat, dizziness, drunkenness, and fatigue


End file.
